"Stormin' Norman" Schwarzkopf's funeral at hand

September 1990 file photo shows Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia, answering questions during interview in Riyadh / AP

WEST POINT, N.Y. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, the no-nonsense Desert Storm commander famously nicknamed "Stormin' Norman," will be buried at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

A memorial service for Schwarzkopf will be held at the academy's chapel Thursday afternoon, and his remains will be buried afterward at the cemetery on the grounds of the storied military institution.

Schwarzkopf commanded the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein's forces out of Kuwait in 1991. He was 78 when he died in Tampa on Dec. 27 of complications from pneumonia.

Schwarzkopf graduated from West Point in 1956 and later served two tours in Vietnam, first as an adviser to South Vietnamese paratroops and later as a battalion commander in the U.S. Army's Americal Division.

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"Stormin' Norman" on 60 Minutes

While many disillusioned career officers left the military after the war, Schwarzkopf stayed to helped usher in institutional reforms. He was named commander in chief of U.S. Central Command at Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base in 1988.

The general's "Stormin' Norman" nickname became popular in the lead-up to Operation Desert Storm, the six-week aerial campaign that climaxed with a massive ground offensive Feb. 24-28, 1991. Iraqis were routed from Kuwait in 100 hours before U.S. officials called a halt.

Schwarzkopf spent his retirement years in Tampa. While he campaigned for President George W. Bush in 2000, Schwarzkopf maintained a low profile in the public debate over the second Gulf War against Iraq.

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Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, 1934-2012

Schwarzkopf will be buried near his father, Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the founder and commander of the New Jersey State Police.

The academy cemetery also holds the remains of such notable military figures as Gen. William Westmoreland, Lt. Col. George Custer and 1st Lt. Laura Walker, who became the first female graduate killed in action when she died in 2005 in Afghanistan.

Schwarzkopf and his wife, Brenda, had three children: Cynthia, Jessica and Christian.

[hankerso]

USA

[ammo17]

what a disgrace,two months after his death,and he is finally going to be buried.was the veterans administration involved in this dis-honor to the great soldier and hero.

[EveryWord]

As a veteran who has been able to put his life back together with great help from the VA, the real disgrace is your impugning their reputation. Clearly you are not a veteran, have no knowledge, and no common sense, either.

I'm sure Gen. Schwarzkopf would agree with me -- may he rest in peace.

[jschm2681]

they may not bury when the ground is frozen. THey don't in CT, at least some parts.