BREAKING NEWS: Retired General Norman Schwarzkopf has Died

[B00Mer]

BREAKING NEWS: Retired General Norman Schwarzkopf has Died

Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

WASHINGTON — A U.S. official says retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein's forces out of Kuwait in 1991, has died. He was 78.

The official tells The Associated Press that Schwarzkopf died Thursday in Tampa, Fla. The official wasn't authorized to release the information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

A much-decorated combat soldier in Vietnam, Schwarzkopf was known popularly as "Stormin' Norman" for a notoriously explosive temper.

He lived in retirement in Tampa, where he had served in his last military assignment as commander-in-chief of U.S. Central Command. That is the headquarters responsible for U.S. military and security concerns in nearly 20 countries from the eastern Mediterranean and Africa to Pakistan.

source: AP source: Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf dies

R.I.P.

 

[talloola]

yes, i'll never forget him throughout the first gulf war, 'kuwait'.

I wonder in hindsight, if he would have changed some of those tv coverages he had for all to see,
as he seemed to almost enjoy himself talking about the 'sortes' as they went out to do their duty,
and returned after much success.

I think they look rather tacky now, poor taste, but hindsight is 20/20, and I suppose we all have
times that we wish we could take back.

Lots of water under that bridge now, how things changed.

R I P

 

[petros]

Sure is a lot of old people dieiing lately.

 

[taxslave]

Sure is a lot of old people dieiing lately.

What else they got to do?

 

[petros]

What else they got to do?

Play bingo and eat at buffets?

 

[L Gilbert]

Go on bus tours to Vegas.

 

[Goober]

yes, i'll never forget him throughout the first gulf war, 'kuwait'.

I wonder in hindsight, if he would have changed some of those tv coverages he had for all to see,
as he seemed to almost enjoy himself talking about the 'sortes' as they went out to do their duty,
and returned after much success.

I think they look rather tacky now, poor taste, but hindsight is 20/20, and I suppose we all have
times that we wish we could take back.

Lots of water under that bridge now, how things changed.

R I P

I recall the many experts stating that the Combined Forces involved in Gulf War 1 would incur from Iraqi defenses casualties at up to 50,000 or more. Can't blame the man for smiling.
If you are interested Google the Officer that was key to his success. The man in charge of Logistics.

 

[B00Mer]

Sure is a lot of old people dieiing lately.

You'll have your turn in 40 years.. no worries.. there is no escape. "Resistance is futile"

 

[Goober]

You'll have your turn in 40 years.. no worries.. there is no escape. "Resistance is futile"

I would love to have another 40 years. Make me 95 going on 96.

 

[B00Mer]

I would love to have another 40 years. Make me 95 going on 96.

With medical technology, you probably will have it..

 

[Goober]

With medical technology, you probably will have it..

As long as I am not left to drool away in some room I am OK with that.

 

[L Gilbert]

Tough to find out what he died of. Popped too many fuses getting pissed at subordinates (younger members of family) maybe?

Sympathies to said family members and friends, anyway.

 

[damngrumpy]

I think we have to look at things from the time and place the history was made.
I was in a news room the day this war broke out and I remember well the stories
and the descriptions. I don't think they were tacky at all we tend to sanitize things
in recent years.
Stormin' Norman was exactly what was needed in a time of uncertainty and there
has not been a general with that much Hoot-spa since then. Schwarzkopf had that
air of confidence that spread throughout the service leading to success and we don't
see that until its needed.
To say Norman was a little arrogant would be an understatement but that is what we
needed at the time

 

[WLDB]

I have no first hand memory of the first Gulf War. My mother did buy me a book on him when I was in high school though. He was an interesting fellow. My sympathies to the family.

 

[damngrumpy]

I think its funny how some don't remember and others were too young to remember
maybe I've been around to long. I remember as a little kid hearing about General
MAcArthur. I remember something he said carried on the CBC, When the forces
were surrounded in North Korea, and they were pushing back south. Someone asked
him are you in retreat?
MAcArthur said "Hell no we are advancing in the opposite direction"

That was true in affect. Its men like these that define a moment in history that you
either remember or you learn about in history. Schwarzkopf was the defining and
lasting memorable moment in the Gulf War One. Say what you will he was the
inspiration of a nation

 

[earth_as_one]

The Highway of Death:
A cold coming | Books | The Guardian
Warning... macabre poem...

The Highway of Death refers to a six-lane highway between Kuwait and Iraq, officially known as Highway 80. It runs from Kuwait City, Kuwait to the border town of Safwan, Iraq. The scenes of devastation at the end of Desert Storm on the road are some of the most recognizable images of that war. While many Iraqi military (who believed they had an agreement with US forces to retreat unharmed to Iraq) were among the dead, likely the slaughter also included fleeing Kuwaiti civilian collaborators. The images of this carnage that made our news were shocking despite removal of the corpses.

A year later

Human Rights Watch:
...The decision to permit Iraq to use helicopters in suppressing the revolt has been the subject of lively debate. Some believe that the rebels would have triumphed had helicopters been included in the Allies' cease-fire ban on flights by Iraqi aircraft. Others believe that a ban on helicopters would have merely prolonged the bloodshed without altering the outcome.

The question of helicopters was ignored in the March 3 cease-fire agreement, which clearly prohibited Iraq's use of fixed-wing aircraft. According to The Washington Post, "officials had said [on March 14] that, so far as they knew, there was nothing in the provisional cease-fire that explicitly prevents Iraq from using its helicopters in combat against rebellious forces." The Post reported:

[White House spokesman Marlin] Fitzwater said the use of helicopters was not specifically addressed in the written agreement secured by Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf....According to Fitzwater, Schwarzkopf, when he met with Iraqi military leaders March 3, did discuss informally their intentions to use helicopters for transportation purposes. That was before the large-scale uprisings throughout Iraq had begun. Fitzwater characterized those discussions as outside the written agreement governing the provisional cease-fire and said the reason that U.S. officials concerned themselves at all with Iraqi aircraft was to protect U.S. troops.[100]

The administration commented disapprovingly on the use of helicopters but refused to issue stern warnings. President Bush said on March 13 that Iraqi helicopter gunships "should not be used for combat purposes inside Iraq."[101] On March 17, Secretary Baker discussed an allied meeting with ten Iraqi officers in Safwan that day: "We've also said that helicopters should be used for logistical purposes, not for the purpose of shooting and dropping bombs on your own people."[102] According to a Pentagon official, Major General Robert Johnston, General Schwarzkopf's chief of staff, had warned at the meeting in Safwan that the use of helicopters against the rebels was a "threat to coalition forces" and could lead to U.S. military action against the helicopters.[103]

But on March 21, Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams acknowledged that U.S. policy regarding the use of helicopters was not clear. While admitting that "dozens" of helicopters were being used against the rebels, Williams declined to say whether U.S. forces would fire at these aircraft. He answered affirmatively when asked: "Is our policy somewhat ambiguous?"

http://www.hrw.org/reports/1992/Iraq926.htm

After the Kuwait war, the US told Iraqis that if they rebelled, they'd get US support. In the north, the US kept their word creating an autonomous Kurdish enclave. In the south, the US sent ambiguous messages encouraging a revolt and then watched from the sidelines as Hussein's forces slaughtered about 100,000 civilians.


Jr. Grew up in Iran while Daddy created Iran's SAVAK:

US General Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr. (father of the general with the same name in the 1991 Gulf War) helps the Shah develop the fearsome SAVAK secret police. Author Stephen Kinzer will say in 2003, "The result of that coup was that the Shah was placed back on his throne. He ruled for 25 years in an increasingly brutal and repressive fashion. His tyranny resulted in an explosion of revolution in 1979 the event that we call the Islamic revolution. That brought to power a group of fanatically anti-Western clerics who turned Iran into a center for anti-Americanism and, in particular, anti-American terrorism. The Islamic regime in Iran also inspired religious fanatics in many other countries, including those who went on to form the Taliban in Afghanistan and give refuge to terrorists who went on to attack the United States. The anger against the United States that flooded out of Iran following the 1979 revolution has its roots in the American role in crushing Iranian democracy in 1953. Therefore, I think it’s not an exaggeration to say that you can draw a line from the American sponsorship of the 1953 coup in Iran, through the Shah’s repressive regime, to the Islamic revolution of 1979 and the spread of militant religious fundamentalism that produced waves of anti-Western terrorism."

Norman Schwarzkopf Sr.

 

[Locutus]

And predictably...


Twitter Users Viciously Attack Deceased War Hero Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf: ‘Eat Sh*t in Hell for Eternity’ | TheBlaze.com

 

[earth_as_one]

Go ahead and worship the butcher if you like L, but you should be aware that Schwarzkopf had a lot of blood on his hands. Based on what I know about Schwarzkopf, I certainly would not trust my life on his word.

No one survived the Highway of Death. Iraqi soldiers and collaborators would have killed more Americans if they fought to the death in Kuwait City. My understanding is that Schwarzkopf who was in charge of Desert Storm negotiated the Iraqi surrender, then broke the surrender/retreat agreement and gave the order to show no mercy and take no prisoners.

When the residents of Basra revolted against Saddam Hussein, they believed that US led forces under Schwarzkopf's command would enforce a no-fly zone over southern Iraq. Schwarzkopf broke his word to these people and gave Iraqi attack helicopters the green light to slaughter tens of thousands of civilians. Hussein's forces didn't just torture and kill adversaries. He also tortured the families and friends of his adversaries. US forces had the means to enforce a no-fly zone at the time, but instead decided that Hussein's slaughter of Shiites served American interests in the region better than an autonomous Shiite enclave in southern Iraq.

 

[CDNBear]

... likely the slaughter also included fleeing Kuwaiti civilian collaborators.

LOL.

Go ahead and worship the butcher if you like L, but you should be aware that Schwarzkopf had a lot of blood on his hands. Based on what I know about Schwarzkopf, I certainly would not trust my life on his word.

As a soldier, I'd follow him through fire before I followed you.

My understanding is that Schwarzkopf who was in charge of Desert Storm negotiated the Iraqi surrender, then broke the surrender/retreat agreement and gave the order to show no mercy and take no prisoners.

Ya, we've all seen how you interpret and understand things.

 

[lone wolf]

Rave on. The guy won't call anyone on crap. Stormin' Norman did his job - whether folk like it or not. If peace isn't where he wanted to rest, they'll be the first to propagandize up something