Veterans Day is time to remember those brave men and women who have served our country and defended our freedom.

Kent Shore is a Master Sergeant who works as a supply systems analyst with the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard. He has been in the military since January 30, 1987, serving the country for more than twenty years

Master Sgt. Shore participated in the First Iraqi War. The pre-war operation, known as Desert Shield, became Desert Storm when war was declared.

Iraq first invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990. Leaders of Saudi Arabia, fearing they were Sadam Hussein’s next target, asked the U.N. for protection. The U.N. authorized a coalition force made up of soldiers from some thirty-five nations, with the U.S. as the primary leader.

At that time, Kent Shore was a Buck Sgt. He volunteered to go to war overseas and was sent to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a city on the west side of Saudi Arabia that is situated on the Red Sea.

“My first meal when I got in country was a t-bone steak,” Master Sgt. Shore said. “Saudi Arabia was paying for our hotels and everything when we first got there, so we could order anything we wanted and charge it back to our room.”

During his time in Jeddah, Master Sgt. Shore was kept very busy. He first served as a transportation liaison, coordinating bus schedules and drop-off points for the U.S. troops. However, he had plenty of help.

“There were eight of us just sitting around a table,” Master Sgt. Shore said. “I was venting to my Lieutenant Colonel one day about the lack of work with eight men to do one job and he asked, ‘Do they really need you then?’ I told him that I honestly didn’t believe that they needed me, and he said, ‘Good. You’re working for me now.’”

Master Sgt. Shore’s next job was trouble shooting for the U.S. troops. In charge of meals and billeting (housing), Master Sgt. Shore had to go through and make sure that the complexes were move-in ready for the U.S. Air Force.

“You might have found a gecko in the bathtub,” said Master Sgt. Shore jokingly. “There were bugs and critters because the place was not lived in for a while and the outdoors moved in.”

Master Sgt. Shore’s final job overseas was to brief the services squadron so that they could take over. Although he sat in an office all day, Master Sgt. Shore’s job was neither easy nor uneventful.

“I sat in an office with a U.S. Air Force Captain. The rest of the people in the office were Saudi Chiefs and officers; there were six to eight of them. We coordinated everything the people [Saudi Arabians and Americans] did together,” Master Sgt. Shore said.

Although he was never involved in combat, Master Sgt. Shore’s work behind the scenes was vital to the success of the war effort. Master Sgt. Shore and his co-workers paved the way for new soldiers coming into Saudi Arabia by insuring that the soldiers had transportation and housing when they arrived in country.

After spending thirty-three days overseas, Master Sgt. Shore returned home to get all of his bills and payments in order. At that time, there wasn’t a law exempting soldiers from bill payments while serving overseas.

Despite the fact that his time overseas was shorter than he had anticipated, Master Sgt. Shore accomplished and learned a great deal during his service in Jeddah.

“It introduced me to a different culture; it broadened my perspective of life,” Master Sgt. Shore said. “[These people live] halfway around the world in a different country whose primary language is not English, but they spoke in English to me. I felt out of place.”

Master Sgt. Shore says that he also learned a lot about how to treat people.

“It opened my eyes to differences in human interaction,” Master Sgt Shore said. “For instance, I noticed some people I was with didn’t treat our hosts very well. They were sort of snobby. I took an interest and asked how to say things in Arabic. Because I was interested in them, they took an interest in me, and they really opened up to me.”

With his bills taken care of, Master Sgt. Shore applied for another term of service overseas. However, he was told that his name would have to go to the bottom of the list, and he was never again called to participate.

Although he was only overseas for thirty-three days during the First Iraqi War, Master Sgt. Shore says that, depending on the circumstances, he would volunteer for another war.

“I volunteered for the first one, and if necessary, I’d volunteer for another one,” Master Sgt. Shore said. “My life is different now- I have a family and two small children. Everything to this point in the War on Terror has been voluntary service. If it was mandatory, I’d go. My best interest right now is at home with my kids.”

When asked whether he would relive his time overseas during the Desert Shield, Master Sgt. Shore’s answer was definite and instantaneous.

“Absolutely,” Master Sgt. Shore said. “If I had to do it all over again, I’d definitely do it. I wouldn’t have come home so soon.”