Naperville Navy veteran marches in Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C.

Naperville resident Gene O. Garcia, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Middle East for a year during Operations Desert Storm/Shield, will be marching in the National Memorial Day Parade along Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.
Courtesy of Gene O. Garcia

On Memorial Day, hundreds of veterans who served during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 will be in our nation’s capital to honor those who have died during their military service.

Gene O. Garcia of Naperville, Illinois will march in one of the largest groups of veterans in the National Memorial Day Parade beginning at 2 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 27, on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. The parade is broadcast live and produced by the American Veterans Center.

Less than one mile from the parade route is the spot where the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial will be constructed. Projected completion and dedication of the memorial is fall 2025.

Cee Freeman, vice president of the National Desert Storm Memorial Association, said, “During Operation Desert Storm, I served with the finest fighting force ever assembled. Thirty-three years later, I am honored to be in the official reviewing stand on Memorial Day to witness their commitment, honor, and veneration for the men and women who died while serving.”

Gene O. Garcia, a U.S. Navy veteran, served on board the USNS Mercy as a Surgical Technologist during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.

In 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Within 24 hours, Iraq’s military occupied its southern neighbor with the intent of further advancing into Saudi Arabia. President George H.W. Bush would successfully lead a coalition of dozens of nations in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, a campaign known as Operation Desert Storm.

More information on the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial can be located at www.ndswm.org.