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GULF WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION QUESTIONS WHO STARTED THE OIL WELL FIRES IN KUWAIT - February 19, 2003

For the past six years, the American Gulf War Veterans Association have received numerous reports from veterans stating that US forces were responsible for the setting of the oil well fires at the end of the Gulf War These testimonies are now being taken very seriously in light of recent revelations of the events that occurred during the first Gulf War.

Joyce Riley, spokesperson for The American Gulf War Veterans Association is quoted as saying: "There was intentional misinformation given to the American people to generate support for Desert Storm often created by advertising agencies such as Hill and Knowlton."

* Revelations regarding the "Incubator story," in which Republican Guard were reported to have thrown babies out of their incubators onto the cold floor turned out to be false and a "fraud on the American People." (S.R. 103-900).

* The St. Petersburg Times disproved the report of satellite photos showing a thousand Iraqi tanks amassing on the Saudi border.

* April Glaspie, US Ambassador, gave tacit approval to Saddam Hussein to invade Kuwait by saying, "We have no opinion on your border dispute with Kuwait."

* John Shalikashvilli, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and William Perry, Secretary of Defense wrote in a memo (obtained by the AGWVA) on May 25, 1994, "There is no information, classified or unclassified that indicates that chemical or biological weapons were used in the Persian Gulf." General Norman Schwartzkopf's NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) logs (also obtained by the AGWVA) dated Feb. 27, 1991, and March 3, 1991, clearly disprove the above statement.

One veteran has now stepped forward and given a detailed account of how he and others in special teams, moved forward of the front, (behind enemy lines ahead of US forces) and then set charges on the well heads. "We were mustered into the briefing tent at which point a gentleman whom I first had thought to be an American began to brief us on the operation. I was
concerned because he was not wearing a US uniform and insignias."

The information provided over a series of meetings with this veteran corroborates reports from other veterans who are totally unconnected with this individual. This testimony brings into serious question the integrity of the US government, as it provided information to the American public and military during the last Gulf War.
The American Gulf War Veterans Association is presently dissenting on the war and has been joined by The British Gulf War Veterans and Families Association. Riley states that: "Not only is it our opinion that the Department of Defense has not been forthcoming about the severity of our military's illnesses, significant concern is now being raised over the causation as well."

Did the US Military participate in starting the Oil Well Fires of Kuwait in 1991?

The following is a transcript taken from a conversation with a Gulf War veteran who claims to have taken part in such a mission.

JR: What was the branch of service that you served in.

GV: For different reasons, I'd rather not state that.

JR: Fair enough. There are a lot of people afraid of retaliation from the Gulf War. Do you understand why they feel that way.

GV: Yes I do. I learned do to what I did in the service, to live in a different world that most people have been lead to believe exists only in their worst nightmares.

JR: Now you were involved in an operation in Kuwait that really no one has heard about until this point in time. We've had five, four other reports of people similar to yourself that have brought this to our attention. You were chosen for a mission; and why do you think you were chosen for this mission?

GV: We're all a product of our environment, as a young man I watched different movies and television shows, and I remember thinking how incredibly cool Rambo was and… things of that nature. There was so many media in the form of movies, and commercials television that primed me to except the idea that to win was everything.

JR: And so the military sort of capitalizes on that feeling?

GV: Oh very much so. They, they find… a lot of times before they even get you into boot camp where they can use your personality and…. your morals and… they capitalize on these things and, and steer you as it were into the training avenues where you will be most beneficial to them.

JR: Lets go to the time of this mission in Kuwait. You were, where were you when you learned about this mission?

GV: We had just gotten back into camp the day before, on a different mission, and we were actually in our quarters resting when we were told to muster out into the briefing tent, at which point a gentlemen who I originally, who I had first assumed to be American but I was concerned because he was wearing a U.N. uniform and insignias. He began to brief us on the operation. He pointed out the strategic points. And we were briefed as a group. There were probably 30 to 40 in the group. And then… we were asked to leave, and our individual commanders were given the objectives for their group. At which point our individual commanders briefed us on our individual objectives, and then we went and… we drew our gear. We were transported via armor personal carrier close to the front at which point we set out on foot, I acted alone.

JR: Why were you told that you were going to be doing this mission? What were you told was the purpose of this?

GV: There was concern that America, the American public, might see this conflict as an unnecessary thing, and we were asked to do this… or we were ordered to do this in order to remove any… to sway any public opinion… American public opinion to remove any doubts whatsoever that Saddam Hussein and his regime were a terrible evil that had to be dealt with.

JR: And what branches of the service were represented in this briefing tent?

GV: I recognized faces from the Navy Seals, Marine Force Recon, and Delta Force.

JR: Ok, now you're on your way on your mission. You've been taken by armored personnel carrier, you're dropped off to your area and what do you do then?

GV: Well then we moved through gaps in our lines to where we're actually forward of the front… As the popular expression says "behind enemy lines". We traveled up, well I say we, well I, I was acting alone. My mission objective was assigned to me personally. I did not have a, an operative with me. I moved forward and I… I carried out my mission parameters, and then I moved, and then I withdrew and concealed myself until such a time as the front moved past me.

JR: Ok let me back up a second. You carried out your mission, lets talk about that mission.

JR: What was your mission? What were you told that you were supposed to do?

GV: To damage… I was given (number deleted) Kuwaiti oil wells to damage and to start a fire.

JR: And how did you do this?

GV: With the use of explosives and incendiaries.

JR: And how did you utilize these explosives? What were these explosives?

GV: The explosive I used was C4. It's light weight, its easy to use, its very safe to transport. You take it and… a wellhead is nothing more than a pipe sticking out of the ground with… with valves, and it's not like a water well where it, where you have a top that you can take off. It is completely sealed due to the environmental concerns involved with crude oil. The… depending on the sight of the well… the, the valve is any where from three to six feet off of the ground. I placed the explosive on the wellhead and the incendiaries near by so that after the… after the wellhead was damaged, that the incendiary could light the crude oil to fire.

JR: And did you light it yourself?

GV: No I actually transmitted a signal via a transmitter to a central location.

JR: Which basically told them the well had been set?

GV: The well had been set and they could detonate it at their leisure.

JR: And what did you do then?

GV: Then I removed myself from the area… I egressed from the area and concealed myself until our units had advanced forward of me.

JR: And, I don't understand. Help me understand what you mean by that.

GV: The whole idea behind the operation was to make it as if look as if the Republican Guard, while they were retreating, had set the oil wells a fire in a panic to keep us from getting them… and to villainize them. This mission would not have been achieved if our forces saw those involved were not Republican Guard.

JR: In other words you were in fear of your own men seeing you basically?

GV: That is correct.

JR: Did you see any body else in the oil well field at the time that you were there?

JR: So you then egressed from the area, made sure that your own men did not see you, and then the oil well fires were started?

JR: Did you see them start?

GV: I actually, due to where I was concealed I could not see them, but due to the nature of … the operation you could feel the explosions and you could hear the fire.

JR: So the story that we are told, that the Republican Guard in their retreating, they started them very hastily, is not accurate?

GV: That is correct.

JR: Did you see any Republican Guard?

GV: In the entire (deleted) months that I spent in that theater of operations I did not see one individual that wore a Republican Guard uniform.

JR: Did you see any Iraqi troops that wore uniforms?

GV: I saw quite a few Iraqis troops that wore uniforms.

JR: But you saw no Republican Guards?

GV: I saw no Republican Guard Uniforms.

JR: After this period of time when you started the oil well fires, did you have any concerns that you had started these fires, or did you think it was for the best thing for this country?

GV: At the time, like I say due to the nature of my mind set, it did not bother me.

JR: That was your job and your mission and you carried it out.

GV: That is correct.

JR: Well I appreciate very much your being frank with us and open about this because there are many people that are now coming forward and saying the same thing. That there were no Republican Guard anywhere around, and that it was the American troops that actually started the oil well fires. I want to thank you very much, is there any thing you want to say in closing?

GV: I believe it's a shame that our government is getting ready to repeat mistakes… I believe. I went over to fight what I thought was a common enemy of the world, and I watched my friends bleed and die for this cause, only for us to be stopped short of our objective, our final objective. I have no reason to believe that it will be any different this time. And I understand the necessity for the loss of life to protect our country. But loss and waste are two very different things.

JR: And why are you coming forward, right now in saying this?

GV: I feel that for us to return over there with this current administrations mind set that it would, that history would only repeat itself.

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