Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf

Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.

"I have seen in your eyes a fire of determination to get this war job done quickly. My confidence in you is total, our cause is just. Now you must be the thunder and lightning of Desert Storm."

, Norman Schwarzkopf was a Vietnam War veteran, Commander of the U.S. Central Command and a four star general in the U.S. Army. On August 22. 1934, Norman Schwarzkopf was born the son of a Brigadier General in Trenton, New Jersey. Schwarzkopf graduated from West Point and fought in the Vietnam War. In 1983, he was made Major General and several years later became a Four-Star General and Commander of the U.S. Central Command. His career included commanding forces in Grenada and the Persian Gulf War. He died in Tampa, Florida in December 2012. , , Nicknamed "Stormin Norman," General Norman Schwarzkopf was known for his fiery temper and his keen strategic mind, he grew up in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, with his two older sisters, Ruth Ann and Sally. Their father was Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who served in World War I and founded the New Jersey State Police. His father later served in World War II. After the war, Schwarzkopf and his family accompanied his father to Iran for work. He went to school, there and later in Geneva, Switzerland. Schwarzkopf then attended the Valley Forge Military Academy. , , Schwarzkopf attended West Point where he played on the football and wrestling teams. He was also a member of the chapel choir. After graduating in 1956 with a degree in engineering, Schwarzkopf later earned a master’s degree in the subject from the University of Southern California. , , Schwarzkopf volunteered to fight in the Vietnam War in 1966. During the war, he earned several honors for his service there, including three Silver Stars, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Schwarzkopf had served as battalion commander during the war. , , After the Vietnam War ended, Schwarzkopf stayed in the military and continued to rise up, the ranks, he became a general in the late 1970’s and served as the Deputy Commander of the U.S. during the 1983 invasion of Grenada. Five years later, he was called to lead the U.S. Central Command, he became one of the prominent figures in the military response to Iraq’s invasion of neighboring Kuwait in 1990. , , In 1991, Schwarzkopf led Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. military effort to liberate Kuwait. He and his troops managed to drive out Saddam Hussain’s forces in only six weeks. During the war, Schwarzkopf became famous for his straightforward style and his short temper. He received numerous honors for his handling of this military conflict, including a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. , , Schwarzkopf retired from military service in 1991. In retirement, Schwarzkopf served as a military analyst for NBC, he also worked as a public speaker, giving lectures around the country and supported, a number of charities including children's organizations. , , In 2003, the retired four star-general spoke out against the invasion of Iraq under President George W. Bush. He felt that the potential outcomes of the military action had not been fully considered. “What is postwar Iraq going to look like, with the Kurds and the Sunnis and the Shiites? That’s a huge question to my mind, it really should be part of the overall campaign plan,” he said, according to the Associated Press. , , Norman Schwarzkopf died on December 27, 2012, at his home in Tampa, Florida. Former President George H.W. Bush remembered him as “a true American patriot and one of the great military leaders of his generation," adding “Schwarzkopf, to me epitomized the duty, service, country creed that has defended our freedom and seen this great nation through our most trying international crisis, more than that, he was a good and decent man, and a dear friend." Schwarzkopf was survived by his wife Brenda and their three children. . This historical marker was erected by Hillsborough County. It is in Tampa in Hillsborough County Florida