Memorials at Battleship Cove.

In a fashion characteristic of the two wars that preceded it, America's involvement in the Persian Gulf War, or "Operation Desert Storm," was preceded by an invasion of a peaceful country by a Fascist regime.

When Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein stormed into Kuwait in the summer of 1990, the United Nations attempted to resolve the crisis peacefully through diplomacy, and then economic sanctions. Hussein's refusal to cooperate left the UN with no alternative, and by January 1991, US and Allied warplanes were bombing Baghdad. Weeks of air attacks were followed on February 23 by an invasion of an overwhelming ground force, with the demoralized Iraqis capitulating less than two weeks later.

In all, America sacrificed 293 lives to the liberation of Kuwait; 10 of those individuals were from Massachusetts and are remembered on the Commonwealth's official Gulf War memorial on board USS Massachusetts.

Some heroes never step on the battlefield.

WOMEN PROTCTING US: While formal military status for US women began in 1942, women have always borne the burden of military conflict. Often unrecognized, their contributions paved the way for the legions of women...Ctd.

WOMEN PROTECTING US: While formal military status for US women began in 1942, women have always borne the burden of military conflict. Often unrecognized, their contributions paved the way for the legions of women who serve today as equals to men in our armed forces. Now, their stories are being discovered and retold at Battleship Cove.

Women Protecting US, a new exhibit planned at Battleship Cove, will represent Southern New England’s first in-depth documentation of women’s military contribution to America. This provocative exhibition will chronicle how women in the military perform valuable duties, and how women on the home front preserve the fabric of our nation while soldiers and sailors fight overseas. If you are interested in being interviewed or donating artifacts to the this permanent exhibit on board USS Massachusetts, or if you would like to join Macy’s East and the Federated Department Stores Foundation, the Yawkey Foundations, the Fall River Women’s Union, and the Fall River Cultural Council as a sponsor, please contact the museum.

STARS & STRIPES: Join the elite ranks of the Stars & Stripes Commission! Battleship Cove's most prestigious level of annual giving, Stars & Stripes enlists an exclusive group of...Ctd.