Editor’s Note: For now over 75 years, The Baylor Line has been publishing vivid storytelling from across the Baylor Family. I don’t think our archives full of deep, inspirational features should live solely on shelves, so we are bringing them back to life in BL Classics. This November 1990 article chronicles the harrowing escape of two Baylor alumni during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. August 2025 marks 35 years since the Gilberts traversed the desert to Saudi Arabia in a bullet-riddled car.
For alumni Bill and Sharon Gilbert, an exotic job assignment turned into a dangerous race toward freedom.
As families and friends prayed for their safety, Bill and Sharon Gilbert escaped Iraqi-controlled Kuwait August 13, driving an abandoned, bullet-riddled car through miles of desert and a column of Iraqi tanks to freedom in Saudi Arabia.
Bill (B.B.A. ‘56) is an employee of TCOM, an international telecommunications company; he had been in Kuwait three months working with the Kuwait Department of Defense. Sharon (B.S. ‘57) joined Bill in Kuwait one month prior to Iraq’s invasion.
A retired United States Air Force officer, Bill is a flight director for TCOM’s Aerostat balloon program. These massive, helium-filled balloons (averaging 100 yards in length) hold a radar system specially designed to detect low-flying aircraft. Experience with the system in monitoring border activity between Mexico and Arizona and New Mexico made Bill a logical choice for the Kuwait assignment.
Following their escape, the Gilberts returned to Texas, spending a short time with relatives before moving to a new job responsibility in the Bahamas. In a recent telephone interview, Sharon described life in Kuwait, the invasion, their escape, and concerns she and Bill have for friends who remain in Kuwait and Baghdad. (At the time of the interview, Bill was enjoying a well-deserved round of golf).
How would you describe life in Kuwait prior to the Iraqi invasion?
It was beautiful. Kuwaitees are very nice. They are very Westernized; many of them have been educated in the United States. Many Kuwaitees are married to American women whom they met in college.
Kuwait is an extremely wealthy country. The government provides education, housing, and medical care for all citizens. I think the average income of a Kuwaitee family would range between $75,000 and $100,000 per year.
Kuwaitees are very shrewd investors. Foreigners may operate business in Kuwait and own up to 49 percent of them; however, all business must be sponsored by a Kuwaitee who owns a minimum of 51 percent of the stock.
The Iraqi occupation has devastated Kuwait’s economy. The Iraqis systematically looted Kuwait City’s gold suks (shops), and stole all money and gold bullion held in Kuwait banks.. Kuwaitees lost all funds deposited in these banks. We lost money. Thousands of people have lost jobs in Kuwaitee owned companies.
Did you anticipate the Iraqi invasion?
Not really. Most of us were aware of a military buildup on the Iraq border, but I don’t think anyone really anticipated an invasion. In fact, I was at a bridge party the day before the invasion with some women who considered the buildup commonplace. It had happened several times before, yet no one truly feared an invasion. Most people thought all Iraq wanted was the large oil-field on the Iraq-Kuwait border.
What defense did Kuwait have?
Kuwait has a token army and a token air force. They were unable to offer any resistance; none of the air force plans ever left the ground. One hundred thousand troops proved to be an insurmountable opponent.
Where were you and Bill when the invasion occurred?
We were living in the bungalows at the SAS Hotel. I was asleep when the invasion occurred/ Bill was at work at the site commando post; in fact, the early balloon’s radar picked up some early troop movement of the invading forces. Bill and his co-workers were some of the first people to realize that Kuwait was being invaded.
Bill returned to the hotel at 5:15 A.M.. hurriedly woke me up, told me that Iraq had invaded Kuwait and said “Pack something.” I started packing everything I owned; then he reminded me that this wasn’t a vacation. “Get your clothes on and let’s go,” he said.
We rushed to the hotel lobby, where we met some of Bills’s co-workers. We had all been told that if anything like this ever happened, we should go south to Saudi Arabia. We tried to determine whether we should make a run for it. Before we could decide, tanks and troops had surrounded our hotel.
We were scared, but some of the Kuwaitees remained defiant. We watched from the hotel as Kuwaitees drove their Mercedes between Iraqi tanks, honking and shaking their fists at the invaders. This went on until the Iraqis fired machine guns over the heads of the Kuwaitees, who finally realized that their luxury cars were no match for a tank.
Where did you stay between the invasion and your escape?
We were warned that troops would begin arresting Americans and were advised to leave the hotel; so we made our way to a safe house in a suburb of Kuwait City where we stayed for three days. We shared this house with fourteen or fifteen Filipinos. Eventually, we began to run short on food. We managed to find another safe house to stay for the next several days.
How did you plan your escape?
We didn’t. On the evening of August 12, we received a call from some of Bill’s co-workers. They said “We’re making a break for it tomorrow. If you want to go, be here at 4:30 A.M.”
We had been contemplating an escape attempt for several days, but I just hadn’t felt right about going—we had so many unanswered questions, and I didn’t feel that I was up to crossing the desert on foot.
As we had our blessing that evening, we could hear machine-gun fire on both sides of the house. Bill considered that to be a strong answer from the Lord. August 12 was a Sunday. And we knew many people would be praying for us. Bill said “I think we’d better get some strength and make an effort to get out of here.”
Monday, August 13, was my son’s birthday—it’s always been a good day for me. I felt calm about the escape, and I told Bill I was ready to go.
How were you able to obtain a vehicle?
Kuwait was such a safe country that people rarely, if ever, removed their keys from their cars. Hundreds of vehicles were abandoned after the invasion. The Iraqis stole a number of them. The car we used—a Mitsubishi Galant—was owned by the National Evangelical Church in Kuwait City; in fact, Maurice and Laurie Graham [Southern Baptist missionaries] had been driving it. The church had been bombed during the invasion, and the car had been severely damaged. Both the front and back windshields had been blown out, and the door had bullet holes in it, But the keys were still in it, and it ran.
Who were the other members of your escape party?
A woman, trained as a psychologist, who taught special education classes in Kuwait and an Australian horticulturist who specialized in growing trees in salt water.
He was your driver, the one you refer to as “Mad Max”?
Yes, he was crazy, but I was glad he was driving. Max had been in Kuwait long enough to know that what we were attempting was very dangerous. He tried to talk us out of escaping. He and Bill studied a crude map and finally decided it was worth a try. Bill navigated, and Max drove. Kuwait’s highway system is outstanding as far as it goes, but once we reached the desert, we were on our own.
What were the most harrowing moments of the escape?
We were certain that we would be sent back if we were caught, and we feared the consequences might even be worse. Just the day before, a British citizen had been shot and killed in the desert trying to escape. The only time we seriously considered turning back was when we confronted the line of Iraqi tanks. Max floorboarded the car and we right between two tanks. He told Bill “If the tanks turrets turn towards us tell me.” Bill asked him “What’ll you do then?” Max replied, “I’ll just drive faster.”
How were you received in Saudi Arabia?
They were glad to see us. There must have been thirty other cars when we reached our destination. We were processed quickly, perhaps because they thought we had been shot at after seeing the bullet holes in the car doors. Max wanted to go back to Kuwait to bring more people out, but we finally convinced him that would not be a good idea.
To what do you attribute your safety?
Immediately after our arrival, my brother [Don Chrestman ‘65, JD ‘70] told me that members of my parents’ church [First Baptist, Taft, Texas] had held a special prayer meeting for us Sunday evening, August 12. Following their regular evening service, the church adjourned to my parents’ front yard where they sang hymns, prayed and tied yellow ribbons to a tree. We realized the prayer meeting took place at the same time that we were crossing the desert.
I truly feel that we were lifted up by the prayers of our friends and loved ones and that God provided protection for us.
What are common American misconceptions about the Middle East?
Arabs are not mean people—those we know are kind, loving people. They simply have a different culture. Religion dominates their lives. As Westernized as many Kuwaitees are, Allah is their god, and they believe. Six times a day, the stop for a fifteen-to twenty-minute prayer time. This is hard for many Americans to understand, but it is an integral component of Arab life.
How would you characterize Saddam Hussein?
I believe that he feels he is destined to rule all Arab nations. He is greedy for power. Winning the war with Iran was a big plus for him. He rules largely by fear. He has wanted to take Kuwait for some time. While we were still in Kuwait, we saw television clips of Huessin proclaiming himself to be the savior of the Arab nations.
Can Hussein successfully turn the conflict into a holy war?
I don’t know. I can’t believe that Iraqi soldiers, who have just completed an eight-year war with Iran, still want to keep fighting. We talked to some of the soldiers at the hotel. They are so young! Bill talked with one who was only eighteen and had been fighting for three years. The soldiers are hungry and thirsty, and the weather in Saudi Arabia is much more severe than in Kuwait. I just can’t imagine those young people wanting to keep fighting.
What is the root cause of the conflict?
Hussein is hungry, and he’s broke. Iraq has spent all its money fighting wars. Hussein feels he must control as much as possible.
Is war inevitable?
I hope not.
What do you think will be the fate of Westerners remaining in Kuwait?
I am really worried. We talked with Ed Johnson [a released hostage] today. He was in the embassy with the Grahams and the other hostages. He told us that people held in the embassy are well. Our friends who stayed at the SAS Hotel have been transported to Baghdad. Hussein’s latest strategy is to allow women and children to return to their countries while keeping their husbands and fathers as human shields.
This is disturbing.
What can be done for those held unwillingly in Kuwait and Iraq?
The most difficult aspect of the situation is the inability to communicate. The hostages will most likely have access to CNN. It is very important that they realize that people are praying for them and keeping a vigil of hope that they will be released.
The anxiety of knowing that our parents did not know we were okay was the roughest thing we went through. We must continue to pray for the hostages in Kuwait—it’s because of such prayers that we’re here. We cannot afford to become lackadaisical in our efforts to see that these people are freed.
Would you consider returning to Kuwait?
No. No way.
On September 6, the government of Iraq warned that any foreigners attempting to leave Iraq or occupied Kuwait without permission could face life in prison. On September 7, however, the government began allowing women and children to leave the country. Southern Baptist missionary Laurie Graham and sons Peter and Aaron evacuated from Kuwait on September 13; Maurice Graham continues to be held at the U.S. Embassy, where the family had taken shelter.
Contacted October 17, a spokesperson for the Kuwait Task Force at the Department of State acknowledged that Americans continue to leave Kuwait and Iraq in a variety of ways. At press time, the State Department estimates that 650 to 700 Americans remain in Kuwait and that 300 to 350 Americans still are being held in Iraq.
