Arnold schwarzkopf biography

I can't really say why. I learned to hate the bully. I learned to hate the playground group that went around pushing other people around. I never ran with that bunch as a young boy. After the war ended his father was shipped out to Iran to establish a police force for the Shah, a strong ally. Young Norman went over to join his father in Teheran, and stayed several months before the rest of the family came over.

He recalls being impressed by the admiration his father received from his subordinates. He himself admired his father as a war hero, much like General Eisenhower. He did have another role model: Alexander the Great. Grant and Creighton Abrams, the latter his Vietnam commander, "because they didn't worry about who got the credit. They just got the job done.

Schwarzkopf followed his father on other assignments. The military was helping to rebuild Europe under the Marshall Plan , and the general was shuttled from country to country for the next five years; first Italy, then Germany, then Switzerland. His classmates included Iranians, displaced Jews, Germans, Italians, Yugoslavians, and various other ethnic groups and nationalities.

The experience permanently broadened his mind, he recalled years later to Insight. I also learned that the American way is great, but it's not the only way. There are a lot of other ways things are done that are just as good, and some of them are better. He eventually returned to the United States and entered West Point , as his father had done before him.

He graduated 42nd out of in the class of l In March l he was sent to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he served as a platoon leader and later as an executive officer in the 2nd Airborne Battle Group, the th. That assignment lasted about two years. In July Schwarzkopf was sent to Germany for a year to serve as a platoon leader in the 6th Infantry.

The following year he was named aide-de-camp to the commanding general of the Berlin Command. In September he shipped back to Fort Benning to continue advanced infantry officer training, then enrolled at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and pursued a master's program in guided missile engineering, graduating in June He returned to West Point and taught in the department of Mechanics for a year.

Then came the Vietnam War. In June he was sent over with an airborne brigade and served his days' duty in what the army calls an "advisory capacity. He was back in the classroom as a student the next year, this time at General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas. He returned to army headquarters for another staff job supporting efforts in Vietnam, then in December shipped over there for a second tour of duty as commander of the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry, th Infantry Brigade of the 23rd Infantry Division.

During this stint he was awarded two Purple Hearts and three Silver Stars. His reputation, however, was tarnished by casualties, including eight deaths, that occurred as a result of "friendly fire" from U. The callous way the army handled the incidents gave rise to a public sense that the army had lost control over the situation. Form letters that went out under the name of Lt.

Colonel Schwarzkopf implicated him in the debacle. The incidents were recounted in the book Friendly Fire, published in , and fictionalized by Hollywood in a feature film that appeared soon thereafter. Schwarzkopf returned home from Vietnam livid over the way Washington had handled its part of the entire war effort. The war, he felt, had been lost by the politicians on the battlegrounds of the media.

In the two years I was in Vietnam I was in many battles. I was never in a defeat—came pretty close a couple of times, but we were never defeated. The outcome of the Vietnam War was a political defeat, but it was not a military defeat. Back in Washington, the soldier alternated administrative work and advanced military and technical training for several years.

In October the lieutenant colonel was made deputy commander of the nd Infantry Brigade in Fort Richardson, Alaska, was appointed a full colonel in , and made commander of the First Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, in Fort Lewis, Washington. He retained that post nearly two years. Smith; when he returned to Washington he was made a general.

In August he shipped out to Europe for two years, as assistant division commander of the 8th Infantry Division. Back in Washington he handled administrative work for a year, then was assigned to Fort Stewart, Georgia, as deputy commanding general of the 24th Infantry Division. From this post he served as deputy commander of the U. Schwarzkopf's high-visibility performance in Grenada did not escape attention from the Pentagon.

After another year of staff work he was assigned to I Corps at Fort Lewis, as commanding general. Then, in August , he returned to the capitol as senior army member of the Military Staff Committee of the United Nations. In November he was appointed full general and moved to the top of the U. Central Command. In this capacity he began planning U.

Much of the general's popularity rests on his family-man image. The general is married to the former Brenda Holsinger, whom he met at a West Point football game in , when she was a year-old TWA flight attendant. The couple married in ; they have three children plus a sizable household menagerie: a black Labrador retriever , a cat, a gerbil, and two parakeets.

According to an account in People, the General's hobbies include hunting and fishing; dining on a thick cut of steak, rare, followed by Breyer's mint-chocolate chip ice cream. He likes to watch TV, tuning in Jeopardy! To this list, he says, you can add opera. During his senior year at West Point he conducted the academy choir. The difference between conducting music and troops, he quipped to a People reporter, is that in war "the orchestra starts playing, and some son of a bitch climbs out of the orchestra pit with a bayonet and starts chasing you around the stage.

New York Times, January 28, Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

Arnold schwarzkopf biography

January 8, Retrieved January 08, from Encyclopedia. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia. Held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia , on February 27, Army General H.

Norman Schwarzkopf was the commander of the coalition military forces from more than thirty-five countries during the Persian Gulf War. He was primarily responsible for directing the coalition's successful attack strategy, which received the code name Operation Desert Storm. This military operation achieved its objective, forcing Iraqi troops to withdraw from neighboring Kuwait, after only six weeks of fighting.

The coalition forces suffered remarkably light casualties, with around one thousand soldiers killed or wounded. Some historians have called Operation Desert Storm the most successful military operation in history. On February 27, , Schwarzkopf gave a briefing a type of speech intended to update or inform in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

His one-hour speech was attended by two hundred journalists and military officials, and it was broadcast live on television in the United States and thirty other countries around the world. During his speech, which is excerpted here, Schwarzkopf described the coalition's military strategy in great detail. He explained exactly how the forces under his command managed to defeat the Iraqi army.

Often referring to charts, the general showed reporters how the Iraqi defenses had been positioned in Kuwait. He told them how coalition planes and missiles had hit the enemy with nearly constant bombing attacks over a period of nearly six weeks. One goal of this air war was to destroy the Iraqi army's ability to see where coalition troops were positioned.

Once this goal was accomplished, Schwarzkopf explained, it allowed a large coalition attack force called VII Corps to secretly circle around behind the Iraqis and attack them from the rear. The coalition strategy completely fooled the Iraqi army, which expected the attack to come from the front. Thousands of Iraqi soldiers surrendered shortly after the ground war began, while thousands of others retreated to Iraq.

Coalition forces succeeded in liberating, or freeing, kuwait after just four days of ground combat. I promised some of you a few days ago that as soon as the opportunity presented itself, I would give you a complete rundown on what we were doing, and more important, why we were doing it—the strategy behind what we were doing. I've been asked by Secretary Cheney to do that this evening, so In addition to that, they had 4, tanks versus our 3, when the buildup was complete, and they had a great deal more artillery than we do.

I think any student of military strategy would tell you that in order to attack a position you should have a ratio of approximately three-to-one in favor of the attacker. His respect for those whose culture and customs were quite different from his meant that he was able to gain respect from a diverse group of people. We hear a lot these days about diversity, equity, and inclusion, but I'm not convinced that everyone who uses those words thinks very much about what they really mean.

Ann McReynolds. Author 8 books 4 followers. It was, strangely enough, after attending General Schwartkopf's funeral at West Point that I read his autobiography. For me, seeing the streets of Highland Mills and the post itself lined with mourners, and to be seated in the Cadet Chapel behind an entire row of Kuwaiti generals, was in itself an awesome experience.

The love and respect shown to a man who lived the code of Honor Duty, Country, has reinforced my belief that the best men and women in our country daily come to her support. I thoroughly enjoyed reading of Schwarzkopf's long and varied military career. Though a very long book, it never got boring. He actually visited Iran as a child while his father was working there, and was so fascinated with the country and the culture that he vowed to return some day.

He barely made it into West Point it was difficult to secure the necessary recommendations due to his father's position , but thrived while he was there, and went to USC for a post-graduate course, his first time at a co-ed school! From Vietnam to Washington D. Along the way, he had the support of a very devoted wife and managed to raise 3 children.

The highly detailed retelling of Operation Desert Storm was, by far, the most interesting part of the book. Somehow, the story of troop buildup, moving massive amount of personnel and materiel from the U. Of course, it helps that we already know the successful outcome! Among all the detail of war strategy, political pressures, technical issues and the mundane aspects of military service, Schwarzkopf talks frankly about honor, conscience, the ideal of service above self, and a longing for moral clarity.

Ever aware of the responsibility and influence of the U. He retired immediately following the conclusion of Operation Desert Storm, and was revered as a true hero. Schwarzkoph lived his life by simple principles that seem to have been lost in the years since the Persian Gulf War: lead by example, do the right thing, and don't get sidetracked.

The book covers his entire life, but of course the Persian Gulf War is the subject of primary interest. His account is his alone, and though he deserves a tremendous amount of credit for making the victory of that conflict happen, one cannot help but notice that from his perspective he alone accomplished most of it and was responsible for keeping things on track.

Anyone interested in a more complete account of the war should read other works on the subject such as Crusade by Rick Atkinson. Apart from the war, Schwarzkoph's time in Vietnam is probably the most interesting part of the book. He pulls no punches about what the war was like and the extreme shortcomings of both the government and military leadership, not to mention troops at every level.

Overall, an easy and inspirational read. Tim Hewlett-parker. This is the second time I have read this book. Since the first time there have been many upheavals globally, including financial and corporate mismanagement on a far reaching scale. When you see how General S. A great leader, top soldier and wonderful family Man. Sometimes a bit tedious, but I guess not everything about another person's life is interesting to everyone.

Initially, I worried that the book might be going down the whole "duty, honour, country" road a little too much, but his experiences in Vietnam and then later in the Gulf war were a detailed account of the events that were quite interesting to read. There is quite a bit to learn about leadership and integrity from this book, although it clearly shows the American military mindset of different times.

This is the account of a humble man who learned from his military general father that Duty, God, and Country are far more than mere words. Born just prior to World War II, Schwarzkopf learned fast that peace is fragile and can end almost without notice. He spent his early boyhood in New Jersey, and his military general dad was largely absent from the family.

The more she drank, the more hate filled and abusive she became toward her son and two daughters. Young Norman took his share of verbal abuse, but because he was measurably the favorite child, his two sisters absorbed the bulk of it. Even so, it was beyond destructive and disruptive. From there, it was off to Switzerland to a boarding school.

He also got some serious military school training. Young Schwarzkopf knew he would one day be a student at West point, and he was, barely squeaking through the admissions process. At West Point, he found the discipline for which he had hungered as a young man. That discipline and sense of family enabled him to achieve a happiness heretofore unknown to him.

He deliberately chose the infantry branch upon graduation from West Point. His service in Vietnam will hold your interest and keep you reading. The entire account is easy to read and consistently interesting. He writes about the mistakes the military made in Vietnam, and he writes with real poignancy about watching the fall of Saigon. The chapter on our military action in Grenada in which Schwarzkopf participated is a worthwhile read.

Of course, the climax of the book involves the account of the months just prior to and the days during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm—an operation in which Schwarzkopf coordinated the ground war fought by a multinational coalition. A Self-described Kennedy Democrat, Schwarzkopf carefully remains apolitical through this book. The relationship he had with Bush senior seems to have been cordial and communicative.

I loved reading this book for a variety of reasons. My children were young and small then, and we lived in suburban DC, so our news cycle was particularly fascinating. The war in Iraq became a local story as well as an international one for us. I have solid recall of the press conference in which Schwarzkopf displayed maps detailing the vast amounts of Iraqi territory captured by a hundred-hour ground war.

In the book, he described the insolence of the Iraqi generals who surrendered. Bush , where his Internal Look '90 command post wargame was made the basis of a potential counteroffensive plan. By 5 August, Bush opted for an aggressive response to the invasion. His plan for direct and overwhelming force was initially criticized in Washington as uncreative.

From his headquarters in Tampa, Schwarzkopf began planning the operations to defend Saudi Arabia. Pagonis as director of the logistical operations, with US Air Force cargo aircraft landing supplies at Dhahran and US Navy ships offloading troops and supplies at Dammam. Over the next several weeks, Schwarzkopf spoke frequently with both reporters and troops under his command, conducting many high-profile press conferences and updates to the situation in Saudi Arabia.

Schwarzkopf worked to help coordinate the contributions of the different nations contributing military forces to the effort. He also worked to minimize the culture clash among foreigners in sharia -dominated Saudi Arabia such as the high visibility of women in military roles. Schwarzkopf remained at his command in Riyadh until December and made frequent frontline visits to the troops.

Initially, Operation Desert Shield involved a sea interdiction campaign that saw international warships detaining and inspecting tankers from Iraq. As the buildup continued, Schwarzkopf was occupied with planning an offensive operation against the Iraqi units along the border, sometimes working hour days in planning, closely assisted by a group of aides.

He frequently met with subordinates and Saudi commanders. Schwarzkopf planned counters for Iraq's large armored forces , air forces, and elite Republican Guard forces. Schwarzkopf devised an operational plan, dubbed "Operation Desert Storm", to be based on overwhelming force and strong infantry attacks supported by artillery and armor.

In the meantime, diplomatic solutions began to break down, and the deadline established by the United Nations Security Council, 15 January , passed without a solution. By then, Schwarzkopf commanded an international army of ,, [ 61 ] comprising , US troops and , troops from other nations, as well as thousands of main battle tanks , combat aircraft and six carrier battle groups.

Most of the US and allied forces, however, were not combat veterans, and Schwarzkopf and the other allied commanders wanted to fight cautiously to minimize casualties. He had a good relationship with Saudi commander Khalid bin Sultan , who, in turn, helped Schwarzkopf win over the Saudi Arabian populace. Schwarzkopf also had an agreeable relationship with his deputy commander, Lieutenant General Calvin Waller , who handled much of the administrative burden.

The good relationship between the allied commanders allowed their forces to co-operate effectively during the operation. The air campaign against Iraq began on 17 January , after days of planning and buildup. He oversaw the strikes from his war room in Riyadh, emerged from his command center late in the day on 18 January to speak to the press, and said the air war had gone "just about exactly as we had intended it to go".

He then began making frequent briefings to the media. He declined to measure the success of the campaign by counting suspected Iraqi casualties, believing that would undermine his credibility. The air campaign proved to be a success by achieving air superiority and destroying the Iraqi military's communications network, supplies, and many tanks and armored vehicles.

In the aggregate, the Air Force met the goal of 50 percent attrition of the Iraqi ground force. Schwarzkopf expected the war to last several weeks and had anticipated chemical weapon attacks by the Iraqi forces, which did not occur. Resistance was lighter than Schwarzkopf expected, and Iraqi troops surrendered in large numbers. Within 90 hours, his force had destroyed 42 of 50 Iraqi Army divisions at a cost of about killed and wounded among American troops, [ ] and about killed, wounded among all of the coalition.

Powell agreed and talked with Schwarzkopf, who pointed out that it would also make it a "Five Day War". Schwarzkopf, who had ordered a media blackout during the ground offensive, finally appeared before journalists on 27 February to explain his strategy. For his services during the war, Schwarzkopf was welcomed back to America with a large parade down Broadway in New York, along with other honors.

Schwarzkopf led a highly publicized homecoming parade in Washington, DC, on 8 June , where he was greeted by Bush amid thousands of onlookers. He became an instant national celebrity and the source of great curiosity by the general public. He was quick to award praise and medals to the troops, part of what he saw as restoring pride in the US armed forces after the Vietnam War.

Schwarzkopf returned to the United States after the Gulf War as a national hero, and his ability to effectively deal with the press left him a positive image. He was initially considered for promotion alternatively to General of the Army or to Army Chief of Staff , and was ultimately asked to assume the latter post, but he declined. He was later questioned about running for political office, but, considering himself an independent , expressed little interest in doing so; ultimately denying speculation of possibly seeking the Senate seat in Florida.

Following his retirement, Schwarzkopf attained a status as celebrity, and was highly praised in the news media. In , Schwarzkopf published a memoir, It Doesn't Take a Hero, about his life; it became a bestseller. In , Schwarzkopf was found to have prostate cancer , for which he was successfully treated. Among the many honors he received was the Presidential Medal of Freedom in In , he was involved with an educational video game about asthma , Quest for the Code , which he launched with Steven Spielberg through the Starbright Foundation.

He also voiced a character in the game. At first, Schwarzkopf was ambivalent during the run-up to the Iraq War in He initially endorsed an invasion after Colin Powell's presentation to the United Nations on 6 February When weapons of mass destruction were not located in the country after the invasion, he changed his stance. He was critical of the lack of a reconstruction plan after the fall of Baghdad , feeling the initial offensive operations plans did not take into account the cultural complexities of Iraq.

Army Reserve troops into the country without adequate training. Schwarzkopf endorsed George W. Bush in the U. He supported John McCain in the U. He was on several occasions encouraged to run for United States Senate or President of the United States as a member of the Republican Party , but showed no interest. Schwarzkopf died at age of 78 on 27 December , of complications following a bout of pneumonia.

Schwarzkopf was cremated and his ashes were buried near those of his father in the West Point Cemetery in a ceremony attended by cadets, military leaders, New York and New Jersey State Police Troopers. Among reactions to Schwarzkopf's death, George H. Bush said of him: "General Norm Schwarzkopf, to me, epitomized the 'duty, service, country' creed that has defended our freedom and seen this great Nation through our most trying international crises.

More than that, he was a good and decent man and a dear friend". Odierno wrote in a joint statement, "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. While much will be written in coming days of his many accomplishments, his most lasting and important legacies are the tremendous soldiers he trained and led".

During his tour of duty in Vietnam, Schwarzkopf developed a reputation as a commander who preferred to lead from the front, even willing to risk his own life for his subordinates. Patton , Schwarzkopf highly regarded decisiveness and valued determination among his commanders. He pushed for offensive combat over defensive operations in the Gulf War.

He was known to be extremely critical of staff officers who were unprepared, but was even more contentious with other generals who he felt were not aggressive enough. His frequent short temper with subordinates was well known in his command. Vuono , a lifelong friend of Schwarzkopf, described him as "competent, compassionate, egotistical, loyal, opinionated, funny, emotional, sensitive to any slight.

At times he can be an overbearing bastard, but not with me". Cheney doubted Schwarzkopf's ability to lead the Gulf War, and so Powell dealt with Schwarzkopf instead. The quick and decisive results of the Gulf War were attributed to Schwarzkopf's leadership. Secretary of Defense Cheney said, "The air campaign was decisive". Tucker , contended that Schwarzkopf's ceasefire agreement allowed Iraq to continue to fly armed helicopters, which allowed it to later conduct operations against its Shia Arab and Kurdish populations.

He went to school there and later in Geneva, Switzerland. Schwarzkopf then attended the Valley Forge Military Academy. Schwarzkopf went to the famed military academy at West Point where he played on the football and wrestling teams. He was also a member of the chapel choir. After graduating in 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 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 a battalion commander during the war. Schwarzkopf then attended the U. Army War College the following year. After the Vietnam War ended, Schwarzkopf stayed in the military and continued to rise up the ranks.

He became a general in the late s and served as the deputy commander of the U. Five years later, he was called to lead the U. He became one of the prominent figures in the military response to Iraq's invasion of neighboring Kuwait in He and his troops managed to drive out Saddam Hussein's forces in only six weeks.