General Schwarzkopf Is Gone

Hard to imagine someone so much larger than life, who slipped so gracefully from life’s spotlight and did so gladly.

What a man.

5 Responses to “General Schwarzkopf Is Gone”

1. Skyler says:

   December 28, 2012 at 3:54 am

   All who knew him personally have high praise for his character.

   I can’t help but think, though, that history will not be, and should not be as kind.

   He was hamstrung by a president who like his son was good at starting wars but had no idea how to win one. And by a chairman of the JCS who was intent at appearing to be a warrior and commander from Washington.

   But that doesn’t excuse failing to exploit his victory in the Gulf War and destroying the enemy army. Not only did he allow the enemy to escape to reconsolidate Saddam’s power, but on his own initiative he allowed Saddam to use helicopters to crush the Shia population that would have been grateful to us.

   It was his failure to win the gulf war that caused us to go back again later. Had he destroyed the Iraqi army then, we may have had a good ally in the region for ten years instead of being sneered at by the entire Muslim religion for being weak.

   In the end, he may have been a nice guy, but that wasn’t his job.

2. major dad says:

   December 28, 2012 at 10:22 am

   I don’t know about that Skyler. We were preparing to move North into Iraq when the ceasefire was called. We were all pretty dumbfounded by that. Seems Bush and Powell got all squishy after seeing what happened on the “Highway of Death”, they didn’t have the stomach for what they thought would be a continued massacre. I got to walk around the carnage on the Highway, it was bad but that’s War. I think everyone was prepared and ready to go North but the Prez and JCS said no, Don’t think Schwarzkopf had much say and he wasn’t the type to voice his objection in public either. Read “The General’s War” by LtGen B. Trainor, gives some good insight on it.

3. BlackDog says:

   December 28, 2012 at 6:27 pm

   He was a great soldier. The president gave him a legal order and he obeyed it.

4. Kathy Kinsley says:

   December 28, 2012 at 6:39 pm

   Hmm. I’m kind of torn here. I agree completely with Skyler. But I understand what Major Dad is saying. The higher ups said no.
   But, still, had he said what he thought, they MIGHT have listened. (And maybe he did privately.)

   But, Skyler is dead right on SOMEONE’S “failure to win the gulf war that caused us to go back again later.”

   I tend with Major Dad on whose failure that was. But I agree with Skyler that it was a major failure.

5. Kathy Kinsley says:

   December 28, 2012 at 6:44 pm

   And if it WAS on his own initiative letting Saddam smack down the Shia… well. I take all my wishy-washy back.

   God will judge; it’s not my place.