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POW CAPTURE
OPERATION DESERT STORM
February 1991, Leonard Holifield was credited with capturing the first Iraqi Prisoner of War (POW) during Operation Desert Storm. Dr. Holifield with Command Staff.
Associated Press, World News, BBC - Reporting
The Controversy
Did Leonard Holifield capture the (first) POW of the Gulf War?
AI was asked this question: The Answer:
Yes, Leonard Holifield was a highly decorated combat veteran of the Gulf War and is credited with capturing the first Iraqi Prisoner of War (POW) during Operation Desert Storm.
At the time, in February 1991, he was a Specialist (age 31) in the U.S. Army and a Military Police Officer. This action was featured in several U.S. Army publications, including Soldiers Magazine, Military Police Magazine, and Stars & Stripes.
While other accounts credit U.S. Navy SEALS with capturing the (first) Iraqi POW's (specifically six soldiers fleeing an attack on an oil platform in a Zodiac boat), Holifield is recognized within the U.S. Army and his personal accounts as having captured the first one on the ground during the initial stages of the conflict.
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