U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of coalition forces that propelled Iraqi forces out of Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, died Dec. 27 in Tampa., Fla., after battling pneumonia. He was 78.
During Operation Desert Storm, Schwarzkopf led a coalition force of 30 nations through a crushing attack on Iraq to free Kuwait from Iraqi Occupation. Relying on an asymmetrical strategy placing forces well behind enemy lines and bringing overwhelming air power, the six-week operation decimated Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard and demolished Iraq's infrastructure with comparatively few allied casualties.
"General Schwarzkopf's skilled leadership of that campaign liberated the Kuwaiti people and produced a decisive victory for the allied coalition," said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a Dec. 27 news release. "In the aftermath of that war, General Schwarzkopf was justly recognized as a brilliant strategist and inspiring leader."
Born the son of a decorated Army officer Aug. 22, 1934, in Trenton, N.J., Schwarzkopf followed his father when he enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy in the 1950s. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, earning three silver stars for bravery, led the battle in Grenada in 1983 and later served as commander of U.S. Central Command, where he oversaw the allied effort in the first Gulf War.
Schwarzkopf retired from military service soon after the gulf war and lived in Tampa.
Among his numerous national and international honors, Schwarzkopf was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H.W. Bush and made an honorary knight by Queen Elizabeth II.
In a joint statement released Dec. 28, Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said Schwarzkopf will be forever linked with U.S. history.
"His life story touches on much of the fabric of our nation's story, ensuring his memory will remain with us for generations," their statement said. "Our nation owes a great debt of gratitude to General Schwarzkopf and our soldiers will hold a special place in their hearts for this great leader."