One of the good ones. He showed us how heroes take care of business and live their lives with dignity and honor. A rare thing these days. May he rest in peace.

Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, coalition forces leader during Persian Gulf War, dies

Truth is, retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf didn’t care much for his popular “Stormin’ Norman” nickname.
The seemingly no-nonsense Desert Storm commander’s reputed temper with aides and subordinates supposedly earned him that rough-and-ready moniker. But others around the general, who died Thursday in Tampa, Fla., at age 78 from complications from pneumonia, knew him as a friendly, talkative and even jovial figure who preferred the somewhat milder sobriquet given by his troops: “The Bear.”

That one perhaps suited him better later in his life, when he supported various national causes and children’s charities while eschewing the spotlight and resisting efforts to draft him to run for political office.

He lived out a quiet retirement in Tampa, where he’d served his last military assignment and where an elementary school bearing his name is testament to his standing in the community.
Schwarzkopf capped an illustrious military career by commanding the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait in 1991 — but he’d managed to keep a low profile in the public debate over the second Gulf War against Iraq, saying at one point that he doubted victory would be as easy as the White House and the Pentagon predicted.
Schwarzkopf was named commander in chief of U.S. Central Command at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base in 1988, overseeing the headquarters for U.S. military and security concerns in nearly two dozen countries stretching across the Middle East to Afghanistan and the rest of central Asia, plus Pakistan…

Schwarzkopf was born Aug. 24, 1934, in Trenton, N.J., where his father, Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., founder and commander of the New Jersey State Police, was then leading the investigation of the Lindbergh kidnap case. That investigation ended with the arrest and 1936 execution of German-born carpenter Richard Hauptmann for murdering famed aviator Charles Lindbergh’s infant son.

The elder Schwarzkopf was named Herbert, but when the son was asked what his “H” stood for, he would reply, “H.”

Click through and read the entire article, chock full of fascinating details about himself and his family.

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7 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. Chuck says:

    Very sad news indeed. May there be many more like him among us, and may God rest his soul.

  2. radargeek says:

    What I liked best was he would not take crap from the moronic media. Peace be with him and thank you for your service!

  3. midget says:

    The history of the salute is when a soldier lifted his visor on his headgear and held it to see better.America salutes you sir.

  4. suede123 says:

    we lost another hero on Friday morning, at 10:30 am central time. My dad finally lost his battle with alzheimers/dimensia. the last few days were hospice and interesting. dad couldn’t speak, his voice was wraspy. then he shift forward in bed, pointed to the upper right of the room, and said, “did you see that”. My brother in law had a dream, where dad got out of his bed, and as he walked closer he got younger. and told Mark, everything is gonna be alright. My niece, had a dream where he got out of bed, and was telling her stories about all 8 children.
    It hurt to see dad in the death state. but I can still smile and laugh at how silly my dad was.
    I love you dad, and tams, he was a great dad.
    ur son Michael

  5. FrankRemley says:

    Unlike his counterpart, the boot licking Strollin’ Colin Powell, Norman Schwarzkopf was a true warrior general and a legitimate hero. He served his country with great distinction and will be missed. Unlike the Colin Powells of this world. RIP General Schwarzkopf.

  6. oualdeaux says:

    Gen. MacArthur was right: “Old soldiers never die…they just fade away.” Should be towards the front of the long gray line. Requescat im pacem, Bear.

  7. sourkraut says:

    I had the pleasure of meeting the General when he came to my hotel in Hawaii as a motivational speaker at a Tony Robbins Seminar. He shook my hand, made eye contact and made me feel like I was the most important person at the moment. He demonstrated dignity and grace, and exemplified what a true American is. I have treasured that moment ever since.

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