Norman Schwarzkopf

Born: 1934-08-22

Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. KCB (August 22, 1934 – December 27, 2012) was a United States Army general. While serving as the commander of United States Central Command, he led all coalition forces in the Gulf War against Ba'athist Iraq. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Schwarzkopf grew up in the United States and later in Iran. He was accepted by the United States Military Academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army in 1956. After a number of initial training programs, Schwarzkopf interrupted a stint as an academy teacher and served in the Vietnam War, first as an adviser to the South Vietnamese Army and then as a battalion commander. Schwarzkopf was highly decorated in Vietnam and was awarded three Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts, and the Legion of Merit. Rising through the ranks after the Vietnam war, he later commanded the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division and was one of the commanders of the invasion of Grenada in 1983. Assuming command of United States Central Command in 1988, Schwarzkopf was called on to respond to the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 by the forces of Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Initially tasked with defending Saudi Arabia from Iraqi aggression, Schwarzkopf's command eventually grew to an international force of over 750,000 troops. After diplomatic relations broke down, he planned and led Operation Desert Storm, an extended air campaign followed by a highly successful 100-hour ground offensive, which defeated the Iraqi Army and removed Iraqi troops from Kuwait in early 1991. Schwarzkopf was presented with military honors. Schwarzkopf retired shortly after the end of the war and undertook a number of philanthropic ventures, only occasionally stepping into the political spotlight before his death from complications of pneumonia. A hard-driving military commander, easily angered, Schwarzkopf was considered an exceptional leader by many biographers and was noted for his abilities as a military diplomat and in dealing with the press.


Placeholder

The Devil's Double

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2011-02-11

A chilling vision of the House of Saddam Hussein comes to life through the eyes of the man who...

Movie page

A Call to Arms

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2009-03-13

A documentary which traces the controversial Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP) in the...

Movie page

The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm

as Self
Released: 2001-04-07

"Hidden Wars of Desert Storm" looks at the origins of the Gulf War crisis and challenges the...

Movie page

Ronald Reagan: The Hollywood Years, the Presidential Years

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2001-08-22

These 2 one-hour specials will take a look back at Ronald Reagan from his ups and downs as a...

Movie page

The Very Best of 'Have I Got News for You'

as Self (archive footage
Released: 2002-11-25

Compilation of classic moments and unseen outtakes from the first 23 series (1990-2002) of the...

Movie page

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf: Command Performance

as Self
Released: 1991-01-01

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf: Command Performance shows historic archive photographs and...

Movie page

Liberty's Kids

as George Rogers Clark (voice)
First aired: 2002-09-02

Liberty's Kids is an animated educational historical fiction television series produced by DIC...

TV Show page

Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World?

as Self (archive footage)
First aired: 2024-06-26

No easy answers? Decision-makers from Kissinger to Rice revisit how the US responded to...

TV Show page

The American President

as Ulysses S. Grant
First aired: 2000-04-09

“The American President” is a series that aired on PBS in 2000 profiling 41 U.S. chief...

TV Show page

The Gulf War

as Self
First aired: 1996-01-07

Two-part documentary about the Gulf War

TV Show page

The 90s Greatest

as Self (archive footage)
First aired: 2018-09-10

When the '90s kicked off, the Berlin Wall has just fallen down, and soon other walls were coming...

TV Show page

Clash of Warriors

as Self (archive footage)
First aired: 2002-12-31

A documentary on some of the key campaigns and battles of the 20th century, seen as a match-up...

TV Show page