Norman Schwarzkopf.

Norman Schwarzkopf arrived on August 22, 1934 in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the first superintendent of the New Jersey State Police who famously arrested Bruno Hauptmann for the Lindbergh kidnapping. Because of his father’s assignments, young Norman spent parts of his childhood in Iran and attended Community School in Tehran. He later studied at Valley Forge Military Academy before earning an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1956. He also earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1964.

Commissioned a second lieutenant in 1956, Schwarzkopf served in the Vietnam War as an adviser to the South Vietnamese Army from 1965 to 1966 and later as a battalion commander from 1969 to 1970. He earned three Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts, and the Legion of Merit. After Vietnam, he rose through the ranks and in 1983 served as deputy commander of Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada. In 1988 he received his fourth star and assumed command of US Central Command. Following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, he planned and led Operation Desert Storm, a 42-day air campaign succeeded by a 100-hour ground offensive that defeated the Iraqi military and liberated Kuwait. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.

Schwarzkopf married Brenda Holsinger on July 6, 1968, and they remained married until his death. They had three children: Cynthia, Christian, and Jessica. His cousin is actress Marianna Hill. After retiring in 1992, he lived in Tampa, Florida and engaged in philanthropic work, occasionally speaking on military and political matters. He died on December 27, 2012 from complications of pneumonia.

Commanding the coalition forces in the Gulf War, Norman Schwarzkopf led a 42-day air campaign and a 100-hour ground offensive that restored Kuwaiti sovereignty. His leadership earned him numerous honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. He was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2007. His nickname Stormin’ Norman reflected his direct, sometimes intense leadership style. He also appears in documentary archive footage in films like The Devil’s Double 2011.