Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. & Robert Bleier
Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.
Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. was a U.S. army general. While serving as the Commander of U.S. Central Command, he led all coalition forces in the Gulf War. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Schwarzkopf grew up in the States and later in Iran. He was accepted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1956.
Schwarzkopf had a stint as an academy teacher and served in the Vietnam War, first as an adviser to the South Vietnamese Army and later as a battalion commander.
Schwarzkopf was highly decorated in Vietnam, being awarded three Silver Star Medals, two Purple Hearts, and the Legion of Merit. Rising through the ranks after the conflict, he later commanded the U.S. 24th Infantry Division and was one of the Commanders of the Invasion of Grenada in 1983.
Assuming Command of U.S. Central Command in 1988, Schwarzkopf was called to respond to the Invasion of Kuwait in 1990 by the forces of Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Initially tasked with defending Saudi Arabia from Iraqi aggression, Schwarzkopf's Command eventually grew to an international force of over 750,000 troops. After diplomatic relations broke down, he planned and led Operation Desert Storm, an extended air campaign followed by a highly successful 100-hour ground offensive which defeated the Iraqi Army and liberated Kuwait in early 1991.
Schwarzkopf was presented with military honors. Schwarzkopf retired shortly after the end of the war and undertook a number of philanthropic ventures, only occasionally stepping into the political spotlight before his death from complications of pneumonia in late 2012.
Robert Bleier
Robert "Rocky" Bleier is a former professional American U.S. Army veteran and football player. He was an NFL halfback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1968 and from 1970 to 1980. After his rookie season with the Steelers, Bleier was drafted into the U.S. Army December 4, 1968, during the Vietnam War. He was deployed to South Vietnam as a squad grenadier, operating a 40mm M79 grenade launcher.
On August 20, Bleier was wounded in the left thigh by an enemy rifle bullet when his platoon was ambushed in a rice field. While he was down, an enemy grenade landed nearby after bouncing off a fellow soldier, sending shrapnel into his lower right leg. He lost part of his right foot in the blast, as well. He was later awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
(Image via Wikipedia; Facebook)
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