Sen. Tim Scott to honor Desert Storm vets in Greenville

Ted Kinsler, a Greenville native who served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm, will be among hundreds of veterans honored Saturday at the TD Convention Center.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is hosting the event to recognize the 25th anniversary of the end of Desert Storm.

More than 200 veterans are expected to attend.

Kinsler, 47, served with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves 4th Supply Battalion and was one of the 217 members of the Greenville Ammunition Company called into active duty during the conflict, arriving in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 24, 1990.

“Our mission was to liberate Kuwait and that's exactly what we did,” said Kinsler, now a training manager for the Greenville County Department of Safety.

Kinsler’s ammunition company was stationed in Kabrit in northern Saudi Arabia, about 30 miles south of occupied Kuwait.

“We could see the aircraft flying over us just night and day, back and forth, on bombing runs,” Kinsler said. They were so close to enemy forces that they could feel the ground shake on impact.

But Kinsler mostly tries to focus not on what he saw in combat but on the little boy who came up to him on the day Kuwait City was liberated.

“The people were coming out in the streets to greet us, and they were just so joyous and happy because they had been oppressed for so long,” he said.

The boy gave Kinsler a hug. They posed for a picture together — Kinsler in military fatigues, his weapon at his side, the boy in a red sweater and blue jeans, fingers forming a V, for victory.

The Census Bureau estimates that about 77,000 South Carolina veterans served during the Gulf War period between 1990 and 2001.

“These were critical campaigns for freedom, and it is a privilege for me to honor the brave South Carolina veterans who selflessly sacrificed so much to answer the call of duty,” Scott said in a media release.

He has previously honored veterans from the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Each veteran attending Saturday’s event will receive a Senatorial Certificate of Appreciation and a lapel pin in commemoration of their service. The ceremony begins at 9 a.m.