(IBD) Desert Storm Victor Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf R.I.P.- Duty, Homor, Country

Leadership: The hero of Desert Storm gave America a taste of victory  after the wasted sacrifice of Vietnam and demonstrated that only the  sometimes-unwise decisions of politicians can keep us from victory over our  enemies.

Schwarzkopf, called "Stormin' Norman" because of his reportedly explosive  temper, led America to two sorely needed military victories: a small one in  Grenada in 1983 and a big one as de facto commander of allied forces in the Gulf  War in 1991.

Grenada was the first step in a recovery from the legacy of Vietnam, where  defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory in a war micromanaged by Washington  bureaucrats thousands of miles away.

President Ronald Reagan brought a new philosophy to Washington — we win, they  lose — and Norman Schwarzkopf was fine with that.

He earned three Silver Stars for bravery during two tours in Vietnam, gaining  a reputation as a plain-spoken commander with a sharp temper who would risk his  own life for his soldiers — first, as a U.S. adviser to South Vietnamese  paratroops and later as a battalion commander in the U.S. Army's Americal  Division. He earned three Silver Stars for valor — including one for saving  troops from a minefield — plus a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and three  Distinguished Service Medals.

Unlike many other career officers who left military service embittered by  Vietnam, Schwarzkopf was among those who opted to stay and help rebuild the  tattered Army into a potent, modernized all-volunteer force that under Reagan  would return to its full and ominous potential.

Read More At IBD:  http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/122812-638765-desert-storm...