Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.

After a number of initial training programs, Schwarzkopf interrupted a stint as an academy teacher and served in the Vietnam War, first as an adviser to the South Vietnamese Army and then as a battalion commander.Schwarzkopf retired shortly after the end of the war and undertook a number of philanthropic ventures, only occasionally stepping into the political spotlight before his death from complications of pneumonia.[30][31] Schwarzkopf then attended the United States Military Academy where he played football, wrestled, sang and conducted the West Point Chapel choir.Schwarzkopf gained great respect for certain military leaders at West Point, notably Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman and Creighton Abrams, believing them to be excellent commanders who nonetheless did not glorify war.[40][39] Schwarzkopf was promoted to captain in July 1961 and attended the Advanced Infantry School at Fort Benning for eight months[39] and qualified for the Master Parachutist Badge.After an initial orientation at Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), headquartered in Saigon, Schwarzkopf was sent north to Pleiku in the central highlands, in the II Corps Tactical Zone.[47] After ten months of combat duty, Schwarzkopf was pulled from the front by MACV and reassigned as senior staff adviser for civil affairs to the ARVN Airborne Division.Fellow commander Hal Moore later wrote that during his time in Vietnam, Schwarzkopf acquired his well-known short temper, and argued via radio for passing American helicopters to land and pick up his wounded men.On 17 February 1970, two men in C Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry were killed by friendly fire from an American artillery shell that had been called in by Schwarzkopf but had struck a tree near their position on its way to a target.[59] He underwent surgery at Walter Reed Army Hospital shortly after his return from Vietnam to repair longstanding back problems exacerbated by parachute jumps.[77] In a second role, Schwarzkopf served as the Army's senior member on the Military Staff Committee at the United Nations Security Council, where he began to build diplomatic skills in dealings with representatives from other countries.[80] With regional turmoil growing, Schwarzkopf became concerned about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein, focusing the attention of his command on preparing to respond to what he thought was a "more realistic scenario".In early 1990, he testified again before the Senate Armed Services Committee in threat-assessment hearings that the Cold War was ending and that it was less likely the Soviet Union would exert military force in the region.[34] During CENTCOM military exercises in July 1990, termed Internal Look '90, Schwarzkopf wrote a scenario that tested how the command would respond to a regional dictator invading a neighboring country and threatening oilfields there, which closely mirrored the rising tension between Iraq and Kuwait.He was then called to an emergency meeting with US President George H. W. Bush, where his Internal Look '90 command post wargame was made the basis of a potential counteroffensive plan.[88] Schwarzkopf in particular was adamant to avoid repeating many of the policies governing military operations in Vietnam, especially the slow escalation of air power and troop forces.Over the next several weeks, Schwarzkopf spoke frequently with both reporters and troops under his command, conducting many high-profile press conferences and updates to the situation in Saudi Arabia.[117] White House chief of staff John Sununu suggested that should the cease-fire take effect at 5 a.m. on 28 February, it would be possible to name the conflict "The Hundred Hour War".[124] Schwarzkopf returned to the United States after the Gulf War as a national hero, and his ability to effectively deal with the press left him a positive image.He was later questioned about running for political office, but, considering himself an independent, expressed little interest in doing so; ultimately denying speculation of possibly seeking the Senate seat in Florida.[130] He supported several children's charities and national philanthropic causes, and he was a spokesperson for prostate cancer awareness, recovery of the grizzly bear from endangered species status, and served on the Nature Conservancy board of governors.Schwarzkopf was cremated and his ashes were buried near those of his father in the West Point Cemetery in a ceremony attended by cadets, military leaders, New York and New Jersey State Police Troopers.[131] In a statement, president Barack Obama said "From his decorated service in Vietnam to the historic liberation of Kuwait and his leadership of United States Central Command, General Schwarzkopf stood tall for the country and Army he loved".[136] Like German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and General George S. Patton, Schwarzkopf highly regarded decisiveness and valued determination among his commanders.[139] Army Chief of Staff Carl E. Vuono, a lifelong friend of Schwarzkopf, described him as "competent, compassionate, egotistical, loyal, opinionated, funny, emotional, sensitive to any slight.[144] Atkinson further contended that in his leadership during the Gulf War, Schwarzkopf conducted one of the greatest military campaigns of all time, providing the United States with its "first battlefield hero in decades".Ricks said that Schwarzkopf was overly cautious in the execution of his plans because of his fear of repeating mistakes in Vietnam, which meant his troops failed to destroy the Iraqi Republican Guard.[148] In his memoirs, Schwarzkopf responded to these kinds of criticisms by saying his mandate had only been to liberate and safeguard Kuwait and that an invasion of Iraq would have been highly controversial, particularly among Middle Eastern military allies.[149] Schwarzkopf sought to change the relationship between journalists and the military, feeling that the news media's negative portrayal of the Vietnam War had degraded troops there.When he took command during the Gulf War, he sought an entirely different strategy, which was ultimately successful by favoring greater media coverage but subject to strict controls on the battlefield.
Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Sr. , father of H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Schwarzkopf speaking at West Point in the shadow of the Douglas MacArthur statue
Schwarzkopf, then a colonel, consults with other officers during a training mission in California in 1977
Schwarzkopf (right) takes command of United States Central Command in November 1988
U.S. president George H. W. Bush riding in a Humvee with General Schwarzkopf in Saudi Arabia
Schwarzkopf talks with General Colin Powell , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , during a press conference regarding the Gulf War
Schwarzkopf speaks with troops supporting Operation Desert Shield in 1991
Ground troop movements 24–28 February 1991, during Operation Desert Storm
Schwarzkopf is met by President George H. W. Bush during a homecoming parade for troops returning from the Gulf War in 1991
Gen. Colin Powell, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, and Mrs. Schwarzkopf ride in the Welcome Home parade in New York City honoring the men and women who served in Desert Storm
Schwarzkopf speaks after receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Patriot Award in 2002
A soldier presents Schwarzkopf's cremated remains at his memorial service on 28 February 2013
The reverse of the Congressional Gold Medal presented to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Norman Schwarzkopf Sr.GeneralTrenton, New JerseyTampa, FloridaWest Point CemeteryUnited States ArmyUnited States Central CommandI Corps24th Mechanized Infantry Division1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division1st Battalion, 6th Infantry RegimentVietnam WarInvasion of GrenadaGulf WarBattle of Ad-DawrahAttack on Ras TanuraBattle of Qurah and Umm al MaradimBattle of BubiyanBattle of KhafjiBattle of Wadi al-BatinHighway of DeathBattle of 73 EastingBattle of Al BusayyahBattle of Phase Line BulletBattle of Medina RidgeBattle of NorfolkBattle of RumailaDefense Distinguished Service MedalArmy Distinguished Service MedalNavy Distinguished Service MedalAir Force Distinguished Service MedalCoast Guard Distinguished Service MedalSilver StarDefense Superior Service MedalLegion of MeritDistinguished Flying CrossBronze Star MedalPurple HeartPresidential Medal of FreedomCongressional Gold MedalKnight Commander of the Order of the BathAlma materUnited States Military AcademyUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUnited States Army generalcoalition forcesBa'athist IraqSouth Vietnamese ArmySilver StarsPurple Heartsinvasion of KuwaitSaddam HusseinOperation Desert StormIraqi ArmyfatherfreemasonShrinerpneumoniaHerbert Norman Schwarzkopf Sr.World War IWest VirginiaThomas JeffersonNew Jersey State PoliceLindbergh baby kidnappingGang BustersWorld War IIBordentown Military InstituteTehran, Iranhorseback ridingGenevaSwitzerlandHeidelbergFrankfurtBerlinGermanyCommunity High SchoolInternational School of GenevaValley Forge Military AcademyvaledictorianfootballWest Point ChapelhazingUlysses S. GrantWilliam Tecumseh ShermanCreighton AbramsBachelor of ScienceMasters of EngineeringCommissionedInfantrysecond lieutenantUnited States Army Infantry SchoolFort Benning, GeorgiaOfficer Basic CourseParachutist Badgeplatoon leaderexecutive officer187th Airborne Infantry Regiment101st Airborne DivisionFort Campbell, Kentuckyfirst lieutenant6th Infantry RegimentWest Germanyaide-de-campBerlin BrigadeWest Berlincaptainmechanicalaerospace engineeringSouth VietnamArmy of the Republic of VietnamAirborne DivisionMilitary Assistance Command, VietnamSaigonPleikucentral highlandsII Corps Tactical ZoneĐức Cơ Camp173rd Airborne BrigadeBattle of Đức CơWilliam WestmorelandViet Congcivil affairsCommand and General Staff CollegeFort Leavenworth, Kansasflight attendantTrans World Airlineslieutenant colonelTan Son Nhut Air BaseVietnamizationTet OffensiveMy Lai Massacre1st Battalion, 6th Infantry198th Infantry BrigadeChu LaiHal Moorehelicoptersfriendly firemedevacUH-1 HueypinnedBronze Star MedalsC. D. B. BryanVietnam veteransWalter Reed Army HospitalcolonelAlaska172nd Infantry BrigadeFort Richardson, AlaskaFort Lewis, Washington9th Infantry DivisionRichard E. Cavazosbrigadier generalU.S. Pacific CommandHawaii8th Infantry Division (Mechanized)Deputy Chief of Staff for PersonnelMaxwell R. Thurmanmajor general24th Infantry Division (Mechanized)Fort Stewart, GeorgiaVice AdmiralJoseph Metcalf IIIUnited States Second Fleetbranches of the United States militaryUSS Guam22nd Marine Expeditionary UnitSt. George'sjoint warfarethe Pentagonlieutenant generalMilitary Staff CommitteeUnited Nations Security CouncilSoviet UnionGeorge B. CristHenry C. MustinMiddle EastMacDill Air Force BaseZagros MountainsIran–Iraq WarSenate Armed Services CommitteeCold Warmilitary exercisesInternal Look '90oilfieldsinvaded KuwaitGeorge H. W. BushHumveeKuwait City82nd Airborne DivisionUS PresidentSecretary of DefenseDick CheneySaudi KingCharles HornerRiyadhWilliam G. PagonisUS Air ForceDhahranUS NavyDammamshariawarning orderColin PowellChairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffOperation Desert Shieldinterdictionarmored forcesRepublican Guardstrategic bombingmain battle tankscarrier battle groupsKhalid bin SultanCalvin WallerPeter de la BillièreMichel Roquejeoffreair campaign against Iraqair superioritynuclear test reactorsUS Marine CorpsVII CorpsXVIII Airborne Corpschemical weaponJohn Sununuprisoners of warBroadwayhomecoming paradeKorean WarsGeneral of the ArmyArmy Chief of StaffindependentSenate seat in FloridaNewsdayPeopleRandom HouseC-SPANBantam Booksprostate cancerQueen Elizabeth IIknightedPegasus ParadeKentucky DerbyIndianapolis 500grizzly bearendangered speciesNature ConservancyCelebrity Jeopardy!asthmaQuest for the CodeSteven SpielbergStarbright FoundationIraq WarColin Powell's presentationfall of BaghdadDonald RumsfeldOperation Iraqi FreedomU.S. Army ReserveGeorge W. Bush2000 U.S. presidential election2004 U.S. presidential electionJohn McCain2008 U.S. presidential electionUnited States SenatePresident of the United StatesRepublican PartycrematedBarack ObamaJohn McHughRaymond T. OdiernoErwin RommelGeorge S. Pattonstaff officersCarl E. VuonoRick AtkinsonDouglas MacArthurTommy FranksOperation Enduring FreedomSpencer C. TuckerKurdishThomas E. RicksFrederick M. Franks Jr.operations securityOak Leaf ClustersValor DeviceMeritorious Service MedalAir Medalaward numeralArmy Commendation MedalJoint Meritorious Unit AwardMeritorious Unit CommendationRepublic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit CitationRepublic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit CitationArmy of Occupation MedalNational Defense Service Medalservice starArmed Forces Expeditionary MedalVietnam Service Medalcampaign starsArmy Service RibbonCombat Infantryman BadgeMaster Parachutist BadgeArmy Staff Identification BadgeOffice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification BadgeOffice of the Secretary of Defense Identification BadgeDistinctive Unit InsigniaLégion d'honneurOrder of King AbdulazizKnight Commander in the Military Division of Most Honourable Order of the BathVietnamese Gallantry CrossRepublic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor MedalVietnam Campaign MedalRepublic of VietnamLutz, FloridaFrench Foreign LegionAmerican Academy of AchievementDistinguished German-American of the YearNew Jersey Hall of FameTelluride Ski ResortBiography.comThe New York TimesNew York City, New YorkFox NewsWest Point, New YorkWashington, D.C.Los Angeles TimesAtkinson, RickPrinceton University PressUniversity of California PressMoore, Harold G.We Were Soldiers Once ... And YoungRicks, Thomas E.Penguin PressFacts on FileUnited States Army Center of Military HistorySanta Barbara, CaliforniaABC-CLIOYouTubeCommander-in-Chief of United States Central CommandJoseph P. HoarKingstonFranksAbizaidFallonPetraeusMattisAustinMcKenzieKurillaNational Football Foundation Gold Medal winnersDwight D. EisenhowerHerbert HooverAmos Alonzo StaggJohn F. KennedyByron "Whizzer" WhiteRoger BloughDonold B. LourieJuan T. TrippeEarl H. "Red" BlaikFrederick L. HovdeRichard NixonThomas J. HamiltonRonald ReaganGerald FordJohn WayneGerald B. ZornowDavid PackardLouis H. WilsonVincent dePaul DraddyWilliam P. LawrenceWalter J. ZableJustin W. DartSilver Anniversary Awards (NCAA)Jim BrownWillie DavisJack KempRon KramerJim SwinkJohn F. McGillicuddyWilliam H. MortonCharles R. MeyerClinton E. FrankPaul BrownThomas H. MoorerDonald R. KeoughThomas S. MurphyHarold AlfondGene CorriganJackie RobinsonJohn H. McConnellKeith JacksonBilly Joe "Red" McCombsGeorge SteinbrennerWilliam V. CampbellJoe PaternoBobby BowdenPete DawkinsRoger StaubachJohn GlennPhil KnightBill BowermanBill CosbyRobert GatesRoscoe BrownNational Football LeagueRoger GoodellTom CatenaCondoleezza RiceArchie ManningMark Harmon