35 years later, PWED remembers fallen 14th QM Detachment
Photo By Dani Johnson |
Water Treatment Specialist (92W) Advanced Individual Soldiers, led by Drill Sgt.......read moreread more
Photo By Dani Johnson | Water Treatment Specialist (92W) Advanced Individual Soldiers, led by Drill Sgt. Robert Handy, salute during the U.S. national anthem during the U.S. Army Quartermaster School Petroleum, Water and Energy Department’s Water and Hygiene Training Division wreath-laying ceremony Feb. 25, 2026, at the 14th Quartermaster Detachment Memorial commemoration of the 35th Anniversary of the Operation Desert Storm scud missile attack where the detachment lost 13 soldiers and 43 were wounded. (U.S. Army photo by Dani Johnson) see less
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35 years later, PWED remembers fallen 14th QM Detachment
FORT LEE, Va. – Thirty-five years ago on Feb. 19, 1991, the 14th Quartermaster Detachment, a U.S. Army Reserves water purification unit, arrived in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia to support Operation Desert Storm. Little did they know that their lives would be forever changed in an instant at 8:40 p.m. (12:40 p.m. EST) on Feb. 25, 1991, when an Iraqi Al Hussein ballistic missile breached the Patriot defenses and hit their barracks.
The detachment lost 13 soldiers and 43 were wounded. The unit, which had been in Saudi Arabia only six days, suffered the greatest number of casualties of any allied unit during Operation Desert Storm. Eighty-one percent of the unit's 69 soldiers had been killed or wounded.
The U.S. Army Quartermaster School Petroleum, Water and Energy Department’s Water and Hygiene Training Division held a wreath-laying ceremony Feb. 25, 2026, at the 14th QM Det. Memorial to commemorate the living and remember those lost.
“Today, we honor the fallen, the ones that paid the ultimate sacrifice 35 years ago while serving this great nation,” said Staff Sgt. Zedekiah Evanson, 92W (water treatment specialist) training instructor and master of ceremony. “These professionals were called to supply the most precious commodity in the battlefield: potable water.
“They were true water dawgs, ready and resilient, waiting on their time to fulfill their duties in the tough and demanding arid environment of Iraq,” continued Evanson. “Their lives were cut short on that infamous afternoon; we will never forget their courage and sacrifice.”
In attendance and keynote speaker, was 14th QM Det. veteran, Angela Betton, who was a specialist (promoted later to corporal) during the attack and sustained a severely broken leg during the explosion and fire from the scud missile.
She had emergency surgery in Saudi Arabia then medically evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, where she received critical care to save her leg. She then was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, for additional surgeries and rehabilitation.
“I appreciate the remembrance, just to keep everybody in memory, that's the whole thing,” said Betton. “If you speak the name, you'll never forget who they are.
“That's what I'm so glad to keep coming to these different events, because I want to keep remembering my fallen soldiers, my fallen family members, and that's exactly what they were, family,” she added.
She also wants the next generation, “they made the ultimate sacrifice for us and in memory of the water dogs, they can continue to provide palatable water for the future.”
After the ceremony everyone in attendance gathered together and U.S. Army Quartermaster, Col. Kevin Agness, asked each person to remember to do three things – nurture the living through spiritual care and moral support to Soldiers and Families in all environments; care for the wounded by offering comfort and presence to those experiencing trauma or crisis; and honor the fallen through conducting memorial ceremonies and ensuring the fallen are treated with dignity.
“It’s very important that each of you remember these Soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice and those like Mrs. Betton who are keeping their memories alive by speaking at events such as this,” said Agness. “In the future, you as Soldiers may be involved in an operation where you will face a similar situation and will then really understand the importance of these commemorations.”
PWED dedicated on April 20,1991, the Water Training Facility on 41st Street in memory of the fallen members of the 14th Quartermaster Detachment. A stone monument and plaque list the names of the 13 deceased unit members.
The 14th Quartermaster Detachment is stationed in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The PWED annual ceremony honors the service and ultimate sacrifice of these Soldiers, and is attended by staff, students, veterans, and families.
