Combat· Gulf War (Op DESERT SHIELD/STORM)
5th MEB Ground Combat
The 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade was a follow-on force that came ashore to add weight to the Marine effort in the ground campaign.
Initially part of the amphibious force afloat in the Gulf, whose presence threatened a landing and helped fix Iraqi defenders along the Kuwaiti coast, the brigade was brought into the land battle to reinforce the drive and serve as a maneuver and reserve element behind the assaulting divisions. Its Marines moved forward through the breached defenses to support the advance toward Kuwait City, taking part in the final operations as the Iraqi army disintegrated. The brigade's commitment reflected the depth of combat power the Marines brought to the theater, with forces both afloat and ashore, and its role illustrated how the amphibious threat and the ground assault worked together, units that had threatened a landing from the sea joining the overland attack that decided the campaign.
Record no. 730