Norman Schwarzkopf

West Point, 1956

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Lewis Sorley on December 29, 2012:

This fine recollection of Norm was sent by General Volney Warner who, as CG of the 9th Infantry Division, accepted Norm as one of his brigade commanders: Just learned from CNN that Norman Schwarzkopf died. As others said in tribute: "He was always larger than life." And those whose lives he touched were the better for it. Norm worked for me as a brigade commander in the 9th Inf Division. My son Jerry worked for him as his aide at CENTCOM. The greatest accolade to be said about Norm is that he was a soldier among soldiers. He would approve the characterization. In the mid-70's I received a call at Fort Lewis from General "Dutch" Kerwin, then in the Pentagon. The conversation went like this: "General Warner, the Chief and I have decided that the colonels now serving as deputy commanders in the separate brigades in Alaska and Panama deserve a second command assignment where they themselves are responsible for a brigade-size unit. Will you interview Colonel Schwarzkopf in Alaska, then call me as to whether he is acceptable to you for assignment as a brigade commander?" After a parachute drop into Alaska, I sought out Norm, who was then on the ground running his piece of the winter exercise "Jack Frost." (We called it "Jill Frost" the following year as women joined our ranks). Weather was 20 below, howitzer breeches were in tents, troops were in winter overwhites. Norm truly looked like his nickname "the bear" in his own element. Although Norm did not know the purpose of our discussion, he passed his orals with colors flying. I called Kerwin before I left for the lower 48 and said to send Norm on down to the "Old Reliables" for his second shot at O-6 level command. Command selection at its best! As his bio belies, "It Doesn't Take A Hero"--but it sure helps assure important outcomes.

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