Stormin' Norman

[JOHN THURSTON]

Hi:

Here are a couple of interesting items about Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.

In the late 70's there was a movie (for tv) called "Friendly Fire". It was well received at the time and concerned a boy who had allegedly been killed by friendly fire.

The Officer who called down what was, apparently, H&I fire that night and whom the star of the Movie, Played by Carol Burnett, visited while HE was in hospital was Norman Schwarzkopf.

Not a big thing this long after the fact and one could not help but feel sorry for the boy and his parents despite the fact that the Officeral testified that he had ordered that all frontline troops put on there flak vests as a precaution. Some testimony was entered to the effect that the troops in this area routinely disobeyed such orders.

Pleased not I use the word 'testified' even though I am unaware of whether or not there was a formal inquiry concerning the incident.

Some of you older folk may recall the Movie "Pork Chop Hill" in which the LT was played by Gregory Peck and concerned the endless fighting back and forth over this Hill.

The Lieutenant's Name was Lt. Lawrence Clemons.

Schwartzkopf had apparently been caused considerable difficulty over the so called friendly fire incident noted but was backed to the hilt by his Battalion Commander. You probably have already guessed the the Battalion commander was Larrry Clemons.

Clemons was passed over for promotion several times and forced to leave the Army.

Schwarzkopf called the loss of the services of Lawrence Clemons to the Army was a great loss.

In the course of his advanced training course at Fort Benning Georgia in 1961 Schwartzkopf wrote an essay called "The Battered Helmet".

"As the essay unfolded, the reader came to realize that the author was not talking about a modern day general or a contemporary battle, but was referring instead to Julius Caesar folllowing the his defeat of Pompey the Great at Pharsalus in 48 BC" Steven Dando Collins; 'Cleopatra's Kidnappers" page 1.

Dando ggoes on to state: "----Norman Schwartzkopf made a fundamental mistake, an error frequently made through the ages since the time of Ceasar-he desribed Pompey as the 'rebel' General in the affair.

In reality Julius Caesar was the rebel-a rebel who went to war'----technically---'against his own country and who had been declared an 'enemy of the state' by the Senate.

The battle in this Civil Was "the equivalent of General Scwartzkopf"-----"returning from commanding coalition forces"--------"and invading the United States"-------"with the intent of deposing George W. Bush as President and overthrwoing Congress"------"the counterpart to Pompey would have been General Colin Powell------".

I wonder if this was actually penned in error.

A Tiny sliver of metal