Operation: Desert Storm and the Accounts of James Foltz

Desert storm was a military operation that started in 1990. It included parts from all the U.S. military forces, including the Air Force. During this time a man named James Foltz was a OR Technician under the Air Force. He was sent out to help troops during Operation: Desert Storm. James Foltz entered the Air force in 1980 and retired in 2009. He Now coaches the Fort Lewis Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams. After retiring he has lived a quiet life with his wife and kids just outside of Durango, Co.

At first sight, he holds himself with perfect posture, clean-cut hair, and is in great physical condition for a man in his 60’s. All these things come from being in the Air Force, and it’s no surprise when heard. He may lead a quiet life now, but while he was still in the Air Force, he fought for our country. He showed accounts of Desert Storm that can be tied to the event as it relates to history as well as events after.

The Iran-Iraq war took place from 1979-1988. This war was happened as tensions had been rising between the countries over who was more powerful in the region. There were religious differences between the two countries and border disputes that had been taking place since the 1800s. With all these tensions military action was taken in the late 1970s. This led to a full-scale war between the two countries.

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(U, 2018)

In this war America took a weird stance, as it was hoping for a draw between the two countries. The most advantageous outcome for the U.S. would be that these countries destroy each other and leave them worse than when the war started. The U.S. decided that they would support people that were in support of the western world. They ended selling weapons to both sides, but mostly to Iraq. Iraq was well armed by the end of the war, and this comes back to America during Desert Storm. (U)

 Operation: Desert Shield

Desert storm first started out as Operation: Desert Shield. Kuwait was being occupied by Iraqi troops in 1990 which posed a threat to bordering Saudi Arabia. If both these nations were to be under Iraqi control, 1/5 of the worlds oil supply would be as well. This posed a threat to many powerhouses of the world, including America. U.S. troops were sent into Saudi Arabia to defend against an Iraqi invasion if it were to happen. Meanwhile U.N. decided that Iraq needed to be stopped. The U.S. issued a statement to the leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein: “leave Kuwait by January 15,1991 or face a full attack by the multinational force.” (The Arab/Muslim World) January 15 passed, and Operation: Desert Shield became Operation: Desert Storm as military forces from multiple countries started striking against Iraq.

James Foltz

James Foltz had been trying to get his clearance to be an Operating Room Technician for a few years. His last goal was to pass a surgery by the military’s criteria. He had been assisting doctors in surgeries, most of the time without talking. Handing instruments to doctors and helping with surgeries was his job. He had the table full of instruments and to pass his training, and receive E5 clearance, he had to get through a surgery without getting any blood on the white towel under the instruments. This was his last step of training, and a few years later, his first deployment was Operation: Desert Storm.

In Desert Storm Jim Foltz was in charge of the operating room. He said, “I had to set up a Makeshift operating room. And we had class three injuries, and those were ones that would come right out of the battle field, directly to our place to do surgery.” These surgeries varied in length, and they could very in severity, but they were all classified in the same level. Other than military surgeries, he also did surgeries on civilians that would get caught in the cross-fire or injured from war.

In hind sight Desert Storm is seen as a precursor to the war in Iraq and the bombings on 9/11. It was also the first major military offense after Vietnam, but it was a strangely quiet war. When you look back at history, U.S. wars always had major backing from the public as seen in the world wars. Past wars had affected everyday life of the average American. Or they had major opposition like the Vietnam war. This was the first war in America that the people knew about but didn’t do much about. Foltz didn’t have an opinion over the war he would tell. He said, “When you’re in the military you don’t have a political view, and you can’t have a political view.” Soldiers are to be unbiased and complacent with things that happen around them. They are to do what they’re told without complaint. Because of this, Foltz didn’t have an opinion of the situation like many other Americans. There wasn’t much opposition to the war to begin with. Foltz said many Americans believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. This eased most citizens and gave them a reason to support the war. He didn’t hear from the population that didn’t support the war. He was an OR Technician that helped save lives. People who opposed the war didn’t try to discuss with him their opposition.

His experience with this situation was more first-hand than most Americans too. All his experiences were his own. He saw them with his own two eyes. Most Americans were seeing tapes or reading the newspaper or hearing about it from others. The information wasn’t first hand. He had a connection with everyone and everything he encountered which is starkly different from the civilian. It made everything twice as impactful for him. When someone died, it wasn’t the same as a civilian hearing about a death toll from the news. The blow to a civilian that a soldier has died is nothing compared to another veteran that saw them. Most of the time, Foltz would even be witness to their death. Being an OR Tech., he saw patients die, and even though he saw many live, there’s still a blow from death. Many soldiers died during this war, but an average American civilian didn’t have to actually see that. Foltz saw history happen with his own two eyes, not on a T.V. or in the newspaper. His accounts are going to be more personal compared to reading an article or a history book about the situation, but his first-hand accounts gave feeling to the situation. Foltz experience was definitely not a normal one for the average U.S. citizen.

This left an impact on Foltz that he carried with him throughout his career. He knows better than anyone that a soldier who leaves might not come back, and a soldier that does come back might be injured for the rest of his life. This made him “tougher” when it came to his job. He knew how to cope and deal with loss when deployed. He’s also structured. This was his first deployment, and one thing that was really engrained in his mind was how important structure was. His training made him that way, but his deployments showed why. Even to this day, he’s strict when it comes to order. Many of the players he’s coached will say the same.

Jim Foltz got to see history as it was being made. His experience is one that you couldn’t call happy, but it was one that makes him who he is. In the 1980’s he was a soldier that fought for the United States against a middle eastern country that had anti-west sentiment, invaded surrounding countries, and threatened countries they didn’t boarder. To many U.S. citizens he is just another military man, but to those who came in contact with him, he’s someone that helped save lives during his service.

James Foltz was an OR Tech. for the United States Air Force during Operation: Desert Shield, throughout his career he came into more powerful positions, eventually retiring in 2009 under the title of Chief Master Sgt., command chief, 552nd Air Control Wing. His telling and feelings of Operation: Desert Storm is one that has information that couldn’t be found anywhere else. In his eyes, the military has made him a person based around routine and structure. Everything he does is planned and calculated before set in motion. His routine is the same, but he is well-adjusted to being out of the military. Every day he exercises his body because that’s what he did every day in the military, and he maintains his diet due to the years of military. But everyday brings something new to him with being a coach, and everyday he handles that with the calculation learned from the military.

Works Cited

1. The Arab/Muslim World. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2018, from https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/iran-iraq-war
2. U. (2018). Operation Desert Storm. Retrieved November 29, 2018, from http://www.ushistory.org/us/60a.asp