Profile: Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf

Aug. 1 — -- Ret. General H. Norman Schwarzkopf led Republican administrations to two military victories: a small one in Grenada and a big one as de facto commander of allied forces in the Gulf War.

Schwarzkopf’s father, who shares his name, directed the investigation of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping as head of the New Jersey State Police, later becoming a bridgadier general in the U.S. Army.

“Stormin’ Norman” earned three Silver Stars for bravery during two tours in Vietnam, gaining a reputation as an opinionated, plain-spoken commander with a sharp temper who would risk his own life for his soldiers. The future four-star general was raised as an army brat in Iran, Switzerland, Germany and Italy, following in his father’s footsteps to West Point and being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1956.

In 1983, as a newly-minted general, he once again led troops into battle in President Reagan’s invasion of Granada, a tiny Caribbean island where the White House saw American influence threatened by a Cuban-backed coup.

But he gained most of his fame in Iraq, where he used his 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame and volcanic temper to drive his troops to victory. Gruff and direct, his goal was to win the war as quickly as possible and with a focused objective: Getting Iraq out of Kuwait. He spoke French and German to coalition partners, showed awareness of Arab sensitivities and served as Gen. Colin Powell’s operative man on the ground.

Schwarzkopf retired from the Army after Desert Storm in 1991, writing an autobiography, becoming an advocate for prostate cancer awareness, serving on the boards of various charities and lecturing. He and his wife Brenda have three children.