LtCol Kent Ralston USMC (Ret) spent 27 years in the United States Marine Corps. During Desert Storm he was assigned to the Marine Detachment on the USS Wisconsin. His book- Battleship Marine recounts the decisive role the USS Wisconsin, a World War Two era battleship, played during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. There is very little historical information available on the Naval actions in the Persian Gulf during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. This is an eye witness account of the ships deployment to the Persian Gulf as the first Navy capital ship on station to defend against a possible Iraqi advance into Saudi Arabia. The Wisconsin played a pivotal naval role by directing Tomahawk strikes against key targets and later by conducting shore bombardment with her 16 inch guns against Iraqi targets. The presence of the Wisconsin along with Marine Expeditionary Brigades in the Gulf lead Hussein to heavily fortify the Kuwaiti Coast and orient many of his forces toward the Gulf. This diversion allowed the Coalition Forces on land to conduct a deep flanking movement against the Iraqi right flank that forced the Iraqis into a panicked retreat which led to a decisive victory for the US.