Death of an American Hero … US Army General Norman Schwarzkopf Dead at 78 … Rest in Peace

This is truly the death of an American Hero … US Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf has died at the age of 78.

Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf has passed away in Tampa, FL at the age 78 from complications from pneumonia. Many remember Gen. Schwarzkopf as the commander of the United States led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait in 1991 during Desert Storm. Schwarzkopf had a long and distinguished military career after graduating from West Point.

An American Hero: General Norman Schwarzkopf – Rest in Peace

Truth is, retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf didn’t care much for his popular “Stormin’ Norman” nickname.

The seemingly no-nonsense Desert Storm commander’s reputed temper with aides and subordinates supposedly earned him that rough-and-ready moniker. But others around the general, who died Thursday in Tampa, Fla., at age 78 from complications from pneumonia, knew him as a friendly, talkative and even jovial figure who preferred the somewhat milder sobriquet given by his troops: “The Bear.”

That one perhaps suited him better later in his life, when he supported various national causes and children’s charities while eschewing the spotlight and resisting efforts to draft him to run for political office.

He lived out a quiet retirement in Tampa, where he’d served his last military assignment and where an elementary school bearing his name is testament to his standing in the community.

From the New York Times comes the explanation of Schwarzkopf’s bravery. He was awarded a Silver Star for his actions. This one just one of three Silver Star that he was awarded during is service in Vietnam.

On May 28, the colonel ordered his helicopter down to rescue troops who had wandered into a minefield. Some were airlifted out, but he stayed behind with his troops. A soldier tripped a mine, shattering his leg and wounding the colonel, who crawled atop the thrashing victim to stop him from setting off more mines. Three other troopers were killed by an exploding mine, but the colonel led the survivors to safety. The incident sealed his reputation as a commander willing to risk his life for his men.

Rest in Peace.