Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Norman Schwarzkopf was born into a military family. In 1956 he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam. In 1983 Schwarzkopf was named major general and leader of the U.S. invasion of Grenada. After being made a four-star general in 1986, Schwarzkopf worked at the Pentagon as deputy chief for operations and plans. In 1988 he became commander in chief of the U.S. Central Command, where he created plans in case of an invasion in the Middle East. The plans were useful in 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait, leading to Operation Desert Storm. Schwarzkopf lead American and Allied international forces in the liberation of Kuwait. After the Iraqi surrender, Schwarzkopf retired from military service. His autobiography, It Doesn’t Take a Hero, was published the following year.
