STORIES OF SACRIFICE
Honoring the wounds time can’t heal: Virginia veterans reunite 35 years after Desert Storm
Annie Warman is the director of development for the Virginia War Memorial Foundation and has worked at the Virginia War Memorial since 2020. She can be reached at awarman@vawarmemorial.org.
BY ANNIE WARMAN
Originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on May 22, 2026
Most wounds heal with time, but for our nation’s veterans and their families, some wounds never fully close.
This was especially evident during the Virginia War Memorial Foundation’s inaugural Salute to Service Reunion Celebration on March 21st, commemorating the 35th anniversary of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. During the Persian Gulf War, in the early months of 1991, seven Virginians were killed in action, leaving behind family members, friends, and classmates.
A Gold Star family member and fellow service members of Lance Cpl. Troy Gregory lay a wreath at the Shrine
of Memory at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. Gregory was killed in action in Operation Desert Storm
before he was able to meet his daughter, Denise Gregory, right.
Jay Paul Photography
The Salute to Service Reunion Celebration brought together 400 veterans at the Virginia War Memorial for a day of remembrance. For many Gulf War veterans, it was their first time reuniting since their deployment.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Joseph C. Barto III, program chair, speaks to Salute to Service attendees at the Virginia
War Memorial in Richmond on March 21.
Jay Paul Photography
The program was developed by the Virginia War Memorial Foundation to serve as the “connective tissue” between veterans and the conflicts in which they served. LTC Joseph C. Barto proposed the idea in 2024. He envisioned a reunion for all Desert Storm veterans, rather than a specific branch or unit, that would strengthen Virginia’s veteran community.
Barto serves on the board of the Virginia War Memorial Foundation. As a Gulf War veteran, he felt compelled to honor the 35th anniversary of the conflict. He worked with fellow board members and military leaders to develop a program and form a panel of speakers. Colonel Michael Bell of the National World War II Museum, also a Desert Storm veteran, led discussion on the role of women in combat, the joint efforts of military branches, and contrasts between this conflict and the Vietnam War.
The program also included the premiere of the Memorial’s newest documentary, Decisive Victory: Operation Desert Storm. This documentary, produced by Blue Ridge PBS, explores the conflict through interviews with Virginia veterans; it has since been aired on PBS, and is available to view online and in the Richard S. Reynolds Theater at the Virginia War Memorial.
But the most impactful moment of the day was the memorial ceremony. As guests were seated alongside the Shrine of Memory, the names of the seven Virginians who were killed in the Persian Gulf were read aloud.
One attendee, David Williams, shared his experience:
“Troy and I served together in the Marines… While Troy was on patrol with a survey team, he tragically stepped on a land mine.” He notes of that day, “As a unit, we couldn’t stop fighting or grieve at the moment; we had to continue moving forward until we reached our final firing position at the Kuwaiti airport.”
VMI classmates of 1st Lt. Terry Plunk stand beside his memorial wreath at the Virginia War Memorial in
Richmond on March 21. Plunk, of Vinton, was killed in action in Operation Desert Storm on Feb. 26, 1991.
Jay Paul Photography
After returning to the states, Williams met Gregory’s mother. “I presented her with every picture I had taken of Troy and shared stories about our time overseas. During our deployment, Troy’s girlfriend discovered she was pregnant, a piece of news Troy shared with us.”
“Not all veterans are ready to talk about their service,” said Anne Wilson, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Foundation. “When I originally reached out to Mr. Williams about participating in the ceremony, he wasn’t sure he was comfortable revisiting those memories.”
Ultimately, Williams did participate. At the Virginia War Memorial, Williams finally met Gregory’s daughter, Denise. He carried a memorial wreath for Lance Corporal Gregory with Denise and another veteran who served in their unit. Together, they laid the wreath under Gregory’s name.
Williams recalls, “I was unsure what I would say, but I found the strength to share: I’ve been waiting 35 years to meet you, and your father loved you! We exchanged hugs and contact information, and she is now expecting a child. I also have her baby registry information and will continue this journey of healing.”
Attendees to the inaugural Salute to Service Reunion Celebration watch the premiere of “Decisive Victory:
Operation Desert Storm” at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.
Jay Paul Photography
Wreaths were laid for each of the seven Virginians: Lance Corporal Troy L. Gregory of Richmond; Corporal Jonathan M. Williams of Portsmouth; Staff Sergeant Kenneth B. Gentry of Ringgold; First Lieutenant Terry Plunk of Vinton; Major Thomas C. M. Zeugner of Petersburg; Sergeant Jason C. Carr, of Halifax; and First Lieutenant Donaldson T. Tillar of Emporia.
The ceremony concluded with the playing of Taps and a rifle salute. The echoes of the lone bugle and the smoke of the rifles lingered just long enough for those in attendance to dry their eyes. But for all who were there, the sound will be etched in their memories, just as the names of the seven Virginians who made the ultimate sacrifice in February 1991 will be forever etched on the Shrine of Memory.
Veterans carry invisible wounds that last a lifetime. It is our duty to remember their sacrifices and keep the flame of memory burning for those that never came home.
The next Salute to Service is scheduled for April 3, 2027, commemorating the Vietnam War. Commander Paul Galanti, Vietnam Veteran and POW for more than seven years, will co-chair the program with his son, Jamie Galanti. Future programs will focus on the Global War on Terrorism and Cold War.
