In August 1990, after Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait, the United States initiated Operation Desert Shield to defend Saudi Arabia from potential Iraqi aggression. Over 500,000 American troops were deployed to the Persian Gulf in just a few months. Morale on the frontlines was of utmost concern to military leaders.
In an effort to boost troop morale during the long months of military buildup, Topps Trading Cards produced a special series of Desert Shield baseball cards. The cards featured photographs and bios of American service members stationed in Saudi Arabia as part of the operation. Topps donated the entire print run of 125,000 card packs to the USO to distribute to troops for free.
Producing baseball cards for active war zones was unprecedented, but Topps felt it could provide a small slice of Americana for far-from-home servicemen anxious about what might lay ahead. “We wanted to give the guys over there a tangible reminder of home. Baseball is America’s pastime and these cards were like a little piece of normalcy in an abnormal situation,” said Topps Vice President Woody Gelman.
Distribution began in November 1990 out of USO centers located near large military encampments in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Troops eagerly snatched up the packs upon seeing images of their fellow soldiers featured alongside stats for hits, errors, casualties suffered. Although humorous, the latter two categories helped troops find humor in an otherwise tense period of waiting.
One popular card showed Navy Lt. John Smith from Kansas pitching with his flak jacket and helmet tucked under his arm alongside made-up stats like “ERA: 3.5 (estimated risk assessment).” Another depicted Army Sgt. Lisa Johnson from Ohio at bat holding her M-16 rifle like a Louisville Slugger bat with a tagline “Batting Average: Classified”. Black humor helped cushion the stress and uncertainty.
Each card contained a photo as well as brief bio of the depicted service member, including their rank, name, hometown, branch of service and military occupational specialty (MOS). Producing over 100 unique cards required a herculean effort by Topps photographers and researchers embedded with units all over the desert region. Photos were taken during lulls in training or recreational periods whenever possible.
Examples of some featured servicemembers and their cards included:
Air Force Major Bob Miller from Denver, Colorado. An A-10 pilot with the 405th Tactical Fighter Squadron, his bio noted 64 confirmed “tank kills” in video games back home.
Army Specialist Jesus Garcia from San Antonio, Texas. A mechanic with the 3rd Infantry Division, his hobbies included working on Humvees and rooting for the San Antonio Spurs.
Marine Corporal Amy Wilson from Chicago, Illinois. A radio operator with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, she held the Guinness Book record for loudest radio transmission at her previous post in Camp Lejeune.
Navy Lt. Junior Grade Steve O’Brien from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A helicopter pilot embarking on his first deployment, his interests when back home revolved around cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Collecting the entire set became a goal for many troops. USO volunteers would reward platoons or individual service members with specialty packs containing framed, autographed rare inserts if they completed their collections. This further incentivized casual gaming and friendly competition amongst units stationed side by side for months on end.
The cards proved wildly popular with all branches holed up awaiting potential action. Due to demand, Topps eventually produced additional series focusing on specific units or regions like the 2nd Armored Cavalry in the northwest Saudi desert or Marines patrolling the Kuwaiti border. By April 1991 with Desert Storm underway, Topps had churned out over 500 unique baseball cards from the Operation Desert Shield buildup.
Not all reactions were positive, however. Some saw the cards as in poor taste or disrespectful towards a developing military operation protecting a strategically important ally. But most troops overwhelmingly welcomed them as a nice pick-me-up amid long weeks in the scorching desert surrounded by uncertainty. “They made us laugh and gave us something lighthearted to talk about during downtime. In a tense time, those little cards provided a bit of normalcy and humanized all of us waiting over there,” recalled Sgt. Johnson.
When combat erupted with the start of Desert Storm in January 1991, distributions of new packs were placed on hold for safety. But the original Desert Shield series remained prized possessions for many veterans of that deployment. Today, in collectors circles, a vintage Near Mint condition 1991 Topps Operation Desert Shield Texas Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan insert card can fetch upwards of $500 due to its rarity and nostalgia factor amongst Gulf War vets. For a brief moment in late 1990, baseball cards brought a touch of playfulness and hometown spirit to half a million service members bracing for what lay ahead in the sands of Saudi Arabia. Their contribution to troop morale, however small, proved simply too great for Topps to ignore.
