With the sounds of anti-war protestors everywhere in the country, the one voice recently quieted is the voice of those in support. Local Gulf War veteran Rich Lyons served as a machinist mate in the Navy from 1989 to 1992. Afterwards, he enlisted as an Army reservist until 2001. Lyons served in Kuwait from Nov. 1990 to May 1991, securing perimeters and establishing a base in Kuwait City. In the villages about 40 kilometers from Iraq, Lyons encountered sniper fire while doing reconnaissance missions.
After Desert Storm Lyons shipped off to Tel Aviv, Israel, to aid in security after the war. Lyons returned to Maine after the war and started taking classes at USM and finished his business degree at Southern Maine Technical College.
For Lyons, Desert Storm is now a long memory. “I was just a kid then, about 24,” said Lyons. Lyons is now 36, lives in Biddeford, and works as a logistics coordinator for Transformit Design and Manufacturing in Gorham. Lyons has been in active reserve for about a year. He would not get called unless in the event of a major war. Lyons said he’s happy not to be in the reserves any longer. “I would love to go, but I have older kids, more finances. It would be tough,” said Lyons.
Though Lyons will probably not fight in Iraq, he said the country should be prepared to send the next generation to fight for their country.
“You can’t sit back and think it doesn’t affect you,” he said. “My generation forgot how our country was formed, and it wasn’t peaceful.”
Lyons believes in order to maintain peace and order for the country and throughout the world, war has to happen. “I believe in peace, too. War is just another side of the equation,” said Lyons.
Lyons does not consider himself a Republican but a moderate Democrat. To the liberal Democrats, Lyons said, “America has to realize blood has to be shed in order to remain free. That is how our country was formed.”
Lyons feels the war with Iraq is not a black and white issue. He has doubts from time to time. Overall, he believes the United States should not back down and show Iraq and the world that it is not afraid to give up a life for peace and security.
Lyons believes the last Gulf War was not won because the government didn’t employ all the ground forces and troops needed to complete the mission.
“We need to overwhelm them with more ground troops forced to go in there and do the job.”
Nicolette Harding can be contacted at [email protected]