Retired Army General Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991, has died. He was 78.
Schwarzkopf died Thursday of complications from pneumonia in (the southern city of) Tampa, Florida, where he lived in retirement.
Norman Schwarzkopf
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Born in 1934 in Trenton, New Jersey
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Graduated U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1956
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Earned masters in engineering at University of Southern California
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Served as battalion commander in Vietnam
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Commanded U.S. ground forces in 1983 Grenada invasion
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Put in charge of U.S. Central Command in 1988
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Led coalition forces in 1991 Gulf War
A much-decorated combat soldier in Vietnam, Schwarzkopf was known popularly as "Stormin' Norman'' because of his notoriously explosive temper. In 1991, he led Operation Desert Storm, which liberated Kuwait from Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's forces.
Schwarzkopf stayed in Tampa after he served in his last military assignment there as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command -- the headquarters responsible for U.S. military and security concerns in nearly 20 countries from the eastern Mediterranean and Africa to Pakistan.
Schwarzkopf retired from active service in late 1991. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, there was some speculation that he might run for political office, but he never did.
U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement that Schwarzkopf was "an American original" and said the general's "legacy will endure in a nation that is more secure because of his patriotic service."
Former U.S. president George H.W. Bush, under whom Schwarzkopf served in the Gulf War, called the general "a true American patriot and one of the great military leaders of his generation." He also called Schwarzkopf "a good and decent man and a dear friend."
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called him "a brilliant strategist and inspiring leader" and "one of the great military giants of the 20th century."
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, also a contemporary of Schwarzkopf, called him "a close buddy" and said his leadership not only inspired American troops, but also the nation.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
U.S. Army General Norman Schwarzkopf points to row of photos of Kuwait's Ahmadi Sea Island Terminal on fire after a U.S. attack on the facility, January 27, 1991.
U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf and then President George H. W. Bush watch the National Victory Parade from the viewing stand in Washington on June 8, 1991.
Then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Geneneral Colin Powell, left, confers with General Norman Schwarzkopf at an airbase in central Saudi Arabia on February 8, 1991.
U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf waves to the crowd after a military band played a song in his honor at welcome home ceremonies at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, April 22, 1991.