By turns earthy and eloquent, cautious and cocky, Schwarzkopf inspires deep loyalty and admiration among the 450,000 American troops stationed in the Middle East. High-ranking military officers are equally enthusiastic. They give the 56-year-old general credit for assembling “the right mix and blend” of armor, artillery and air power. He’s also commended for keeping morale high and exercising tact in holding together an uneasy coalition of 27 countries including Saudi Arabia, Syria, Kuwait and France. “He’s a superb strategist, a brilliant tactician, tough as nails and a real troop handler,” says retired Marine commandant and longtime colleague P.X. Kelley.
Schwarzkopf is also a contradictory figure. A burly West Pointer nicknamed both “Stormin’ Norman” and “The Bear” (he prefers the latter), Schwarzkopf is a ballet and opera aficionado and speaks fluent French and German. He is a devoted family man who used to perform magic shows for children’s birthday parties. During the Vietnam War he served two tours as a junior officer, winning a chestful of medals, including two Purple Hearts. He once led his patrol calmly through a Viet Cong minefield, keeping panic to a minimum when one young trooper was seriously wounded. Yet he’s no warmonger. Schwarzkopf has spoken of the “profanity” of battle and before leaving the Persian Gulf he vowed, said his sister, “to carry out whatever orders he gets with as little cost in blood as possible.”
Although he is gregarious with the “grunts” in the field, Schwarzkopf has a prickly temper. He has a reputation for intimidating his staff and is hypersensitive to media criticism. He frequently chews out senior commanders when he sees a critical quote from a soldier–even if it appears in an otherwise positive article. Army veterans are fond of an old saying: “Sometimes you get the bear–sometimes the bear gets you.” Many of Schwarzkopf’s underlings are still reeling from their confrontations with The Bear. Now he has set his sights on Saddam.
