Virginia War Memorial honors Persian Gulf War veterans during reunion

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Virginia War Memorial hosted veterans from the Persian Gulf War, as well as their families and other supporters, on Saturday, March 21, for a first-of-its-kind reunion at the memorial.

Saturday's reunion is the memorial's first "Salute to Service" gathering, to celebrate the veterans and their stories of different conflicts.

During the event, stories and fellowship were shared with one another as 150 Persian Gulf veterans registered to honor those who fought in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.

The reunion is just in time for Desert Storm's 35th anniversary.

The end of Desert Storm marked a stop to Iraq's invasion into Kuwait, where some believed it was about oil, while others said it was about good versus evil and to prevent further wars.

Potentially stopping more armed conflicts, the dozens of service members were assigned a new mission on Saturday: keeping the stories alive.

Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets from the University of Richmond Spider Battalion recorded those memories.

"We actually deployed to the Saudi oilfields to guard, to secure them from potential attack," said Army veteran Tony Pfaff of Fairfax. "We spent a lot of time with the local population trying to get them aid and assistance."

Seven Virginians died fighting to stop what some call tyranny, and now their names are etched on the memorial walls. One of the names includes Marine Corps veteran Troy Gregory, who was the only Richmonder to die in the Persian Gulf War.

His daughter, Troy Denise Gregory of Hampton Roads who never got to meet her dad, saw his name at the memorial for the first time and was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all service members.

"He's always my hero. I guess he's not just my hero. He's other people's hero as well," Gregory said. "Everybody still talks about my dad, like 'he's still here.' We always want our dad to be close enough to have that experience, but I definitely appreciate the sacrifice that he made and along with everybody else."

Other Salute to Service events will be held in the coming years, including in 2027, with a reunion being organized for Vietnam veterans.