20 Welcome to the U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr. 1990 January Communist governments fall in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Romania, signaling the end of the Soviet empire in Europe. Latvia and Estonia declare independence five months later. “Centurion Shield”, the last REFORGER is hosted 60 miles west of Grafenwoehr. August Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait. The U.S. responds with Operation Desert Shield. Seventh Army Training Command begins training units for deployment. VII Corps deploys to the region in Nov. where it plays a key role in the “100 Hour War” that liberates Kuwait in February 1991. 1991 February Operation Desert Storm begins. In one week, the U.S. led coalition pushes Iraqi forces out of Kuwait and across the border into Iraq, where the coalition halts 150 miles south of Baghdad. June Yugoslavia begins to break apart. The Dayton Accords end the ethnic war, five years later, in December 1995. August The Seventh U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer Academy relocates and becomes a tenant unit of the GTA. December Soviet Premier Gorbachev announces the break-up of the Soviet Union. 1992 U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) begins reducing forces in Germany, closing facilities and communities. Area Support Teams in Amberg and Bindlach are closed as part of the USAREUR-wide draw down. 1993 NATO’s Allied Land Forces Central Europe becomes operational at U.S. Army Europe’s headquarters in Heidelberg with a staff of seven nations: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. The troops of these armies become regular fixtures on the GTA ranges in years to come. History of the Grafenwoehr Training Area
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