“I keep thinking they’re being forgotten.”

That’s what worries Joseph Bnosky of Hometown the most — that the brave young men and women who died as part of the first Persian Gulf War are nothing more than distant memories, fading as the war on terror seems to be never ending.It’s been 26 years since Bnosky lost his son, Jeff, who died in the lead-up to Desert Storm, the world’s reaction to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. Up until then, most Americans were unfamiliar with individual Persian Gulf countries, with the possible exceptions of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The area was simply seen as Arab country.After the invasion, Americans were given a crash course in geography, as President George H.W. Bush amassed a coalition of countries from around the globe to deal with Saddam after he defied the demands of the United Nations Security Council to withdraw his forces from Kuwait. Even America’s biggest Cold War enemy, the

U.S.S.R., didn’t support Saddam. Its representative to the U.N. abstained from the council’s condemnation vote instead of using his veto power.Then 1st Lt. Jeff Bnosky was sent to the Gulf in 1990 as part of Operation Desert Shield, the U.S. initiative to protect its ally, Saudi Arabia, from any further Iraqi expansion. Assigned to the U.S. Army’s Fifth Engineer Battalion out of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, the 1985 graduate of Tamaqua Area High School was able to keep in contact with his stateside family as the world waited for Saddam’s answer to the ultimatum to withdraw by Jan. 15, 1991.He even had the opportunity to spend some time with his wife, Karen, an Army nurse who was also sent to the Gulf. The couple thought they knew what was coming as they shared precious moments before the conflict began in earnest. They were sure the war would end quickly and they could get back to their life together.The war did end quickly, but the Bnoskys’ plans for the future never came to be.As Jeff was heading back to his unit from a visit with Karen on Jan. 13, his vehicle was involved in a collision with a large truck. The young man died in Saudi Arabia, at a location the military wouldn’t disclose to his family. He was the first local casualty of Operation Desert Shield and the war on terror it foreshadowed.As the world prepared for war, Joe Bnosky prepared to bury his 25-year-old son.Since then, he has kept his son’s memory alive in several different ways. Rush Township, where the Bnosky family lives, named a street in Jeff’s honor. The Capt. Jeffrey Bnosky 3-D Award, (the Army officer was posthumously promoted to captain), is presented annually to the Tamaqua Blue Raider football player who shows the most desire, determination and dedication. A new American flag is donated to fly over the football field every year in his honor. The grieving father also attends as many Operation Desert Storm memorial events as he can manage.And then there are Jeff’s comrades in arms. They too do what they can to keep the memories alive.Earlier this year, Bnosky’s name was added to a memorial at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in recognition of his death during his unit’s support of the 24th Infantry Division. The 24th ID was headquartered there until its deactivation and the military base holds a remembrance service every year. His name is also on a memorial at Fort Leonard Wood, where annual remembrance services are also held. And then there are the emails Joe receives from former members of Jeff’s platoon. They too remember the young man who left this world too early, sharing fond memories and the pain of loss.It’s been 26 years since Desert Storm, which involved 694,550 American service members, with a total of 383 deaths — 148 in combat and 235 noncombat but in theater.Joe Bnosky wants to make sure every single one of those brave Americans is remembered, today and every tomorrow.