Pedzisa mutsara unotevera:
Iraq yakapinda muKuwait musi waAugust 2, 1990, VMA-542 yakarairwa kuti iendeswe kuPersian Gulf mukutsigira Operation Desert Shield. Nezvikwata makumi maviri zveAV-8Bs, Tomassetti akabhururuka kubva kuNorth Carolina kuenda kumaodzanyemba kweBahrain ndokusvika kuSheik Isa Air Base musi waAugust 21. Akapedza mwedzi miviri yakatevera achigadzirira kurwisana nokubhururuka mamishinari okudzidzisa uye "kuchenjerera kwakamira" umo vatyairi vendege vaichinjana kugara mukati kana pedyo nendege dzavo dzakarongedzerwa, vakagadzirira kukwira munguva pfupi kana pakaitika utsinye. The squadron akafamba pedyo kunotarisirwa nharaunda kunetsana musi November 4<unk>5, repositioning kuna Mambo Abdul Aziz Naval Base uye nhandare yendege dzakaoma muSaudi Arabia pedyo Kuwaiti pamuganhu. Tomassetti uye squadron vakaramba vachibhururuka vachidzidzisa misasa nechinangwa chekuswedera kumhepo inotsigira mishoni yakagadzirirwa kuchengetedza mauto epasi ayo aizoita nokukurumidza kusangana nemauto emuvengi.