In May 1987, an Iraqi plane fired two missiles into USS Stark, a US Navy frigate on patrol in the Gulf. The missiles severely damaged the ship and killed thirty-seven sailors. The Stark attack, which Iraq claimed was accidental, brought heightened attention to the Persian Gulf, and marked the beginning of a new era in US Middle Eastern policy.

Inside the Danger Zone is a history of the US military involvement in the Persian Gulf in 1987–88– a key period which is so important to our understanding of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Desert Storm and the most recent US invasion of Iraq. Based largely on first-hand accounts from veterans of that era, it is not a book about policy, but rather an up-close, detailed report from the perspectives of the men who implemented that policy. Many of the dramatic incidents of this period are told in depth with new information and details never before seen in print.

About the Author
Harold Lee Wise is Adjunct History Professor at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. His masters thesis on the Iraqi attack on USS Stark won the Ben H. Powell award at Sam Houston State University.