'Stormin Norman' Schwarzkopf dead at 78

WASHINGTON: Norman Schwarzkopf, the US general who drove Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait in 1991 as commander of the lightning campaign known as Operation Desert Storm, died Thursday at the age of 78.
Schwarzkopf, an American hero known popularly as “Stormin’ Norman,” died in Tampa, where he retired after his last posting as head of US Central Command, which controls operations in the Middle East and South Asia.
“We’ve lost an American original,” US President Barack Obama said.
“From his decorated service in Vietnam to the historic liberation of Kuwait and his leadership of United States Central Command, General Schwarzkopf stood tall for the country and Army he loved,” he said in a statement.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Schwarzkopf — a hulking bruiser of a commander with an explosive temper — had in “35 years of service in uniform left an indelible imprint on the United States military and the country.”
Former president George H. W. Bush, himself sick in intensive care in Texas, was among the first to issue a statement mourning the loss of the man he chose to lead the war that came to define both of their careers.
“Barbara and I mourn the loss of a true American patriot and one of the great military leaders of his generation,” his statement said.
“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,” Bush said.
“More than that, he was a good and decent man — and a dear friend. Barbara and I send our condolences to his wife Brenda and his wonderful family.”
The New York Times quoted Schwarzkopf’s sister as saying he died from complications related to a recent bout with pneumonia.