Kuwait National Flag - Liberation flag from the Gulf War, 1990 - 1991.
This small cotton flag is a memento brought back by the members of a United States Army platoon that served in Operation Desert Storm, the code name for the Liberation of Kuwait. Fought in 1990 and 1991, it is also referred to as the First Gulf War.
This flag was locally made out of black, green, white and red cotton. The unit to which the men in this platoon belonged is currently unknown, but it is highly likely that the flag was acquired by the platoon after the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. After Kuwait was invaded and occupied by Iraq, in the summer of 1990, Kuwait was annexed, and Saddam Hussein announced that it was now the 19th province of Iraq, and that the flag of independent Kuwait was abolished and forbidden.
The Kuwaiti Flag was adopted in 1961, employing the "Pan-Arab" colors of black, green, white and red. These colors are ubiquitous across the Arab world. Each of the colors are said to represent various Arab dynasties: Red - either the Kharwarij sect, or the Sharifin sect (i.e. Hashemite) family; Green- the Fatimid dynasty; White- the Ummayad dynasty; and Black - either the prophet Mohammed, or the Abbasid dynasty.
Each of the colors also has special meaning in Kuwait: White = deeds: Black = battlefields ;
Green = meadows and Red = swords soaked with the blood of our enemies.
The flag is a vernacular creation rather than being professionally made and was signed by 13 United States Army personnel from an unidentified platoon as follows:
On the green stripe - 1 inscription, Bill Man.
On the white stripe - 8 inscriptions, El Sohis - Tree Police; Jack Q. Noonhaster - Still A Long Way To Go!; Almost Here - Sgt. (illegible); "68" Was There - Sgt. Hodge; "5150" B. Monazaz?; Sgt. (cursive illegible) - Desert Storm 11/9 - Rock & Roll; S.Sg. Martinez - 90-91 - Desert Strom; Persian Gulf War! - 1990 - 1991 - 1st Platoon Ldr. - Sg(t). Vigilor Rodriguez.
On the red stripe - 4 inscriptions, Sgt. Wyatt - 90\91; Spc Walker - "Crash"; {Drawing of a winged heart} inscribed 90 [illegible] 91 - Stay Cool - Lets Party in the Real World!
Provenance: Acquired through purchase in 1991.
ZFC Significant Flag
Sources:
Flag of Kuwait, Wikipedia, 14 December 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Kuwait
Kuwait, Flags of the World, 14 December 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/kw.html
Gulf War, Wikipedia, 14 December 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
