1990: Operation DESERT SHIELD. As a response to Iraq’s 2 August invasion of Kuwait, the US military initiated deployment actions to protect Saudi Arabia from Iraqi aggression and to liberate Kuwait. The 71 TFS deployed 24 F-15C Eagles on a 15-hour, 8,000-mile, non-stop flight from Langley AFB to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, with 12 inflight refuelings.
