30 years ago. He lost a child at birth. He didn't have to deploy. He did anyway. The day before a cease fire was ordered in the Gulf War, Specialist C. Allen Cash gave his life for our country.

I served in Afghanistan with a great guy from Michigan back in 2009. He didn't seem that much older than the rest of us on our embedded training team, but Mike Kemp had served in Desert Storm- the first Iraq War as we all referred to it.

Over the weekend Mike shared an important tribute:

Thirty years ago today, this young man, C. Allen Cash, died during Desert Storm. KIA during the battle of Medina Ridge.

Several weeks before we deployed his wife had given birth to their 1st child, the child died during birth, and he was given the choice to stay home or deploy. He chose deploying with his friend's and ended up giving up everything. On the 30th anniversary of his death take a minute to remember him and everything his family lost for us.

The story of Specialist Cash was also written about by UPI.

Cash, 20, a member of the 3rd Infantry Division, was killed Feb. 26, a day before President Bush ordered a cease-fire in the gulf war.

Stars & Stripes looked back on the battle of Medina Ridge during the 25th Anniversary:

More than 100 Iraqi tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed, according to reports at the time.

A cease-fire went into effect the next day across Iraq, and American forces were out of the country weeks later. Their taste of battle had been brief and complete. Retired Army Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, who commanded 2nd Brigade at the time, said his tankers’ training in Germany, where they drilled speed and accuracy to fight Soviet bloc forces, easily eclipsed the skill of the Iraqis.

 

LOOK: 100 years of American military history

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