Retired military leader General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. (1934- ) was born on this day in Trenton, New Jersey. Stormin' Norman is best known for swiftly leading U.S. forces to victory over Iraq in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. The operation liberated the Kuwaitis from Iraqi occupation with minimal casualties.

"War is a profane thing," he once said.

For Schwarzkopf, the victory did not come easily. "It is a tortuous process coming up with decisions that involve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. It's not that simple," he explained.

A West Point graduate and Vietnam Vet whose combat heroics earned him the reputation as an officer who would risk his life for his soldiers, Schwarzkopf led with vision, confidence, and optimism.  His charisma captured the imagination of the world and he returned home a hero.

"It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle," he candidly told Barbara Walters in a television interview. "It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle."

In recent years, the general battled and beat a new enemy... prostate cancer. He used his fame to raise public awareness and generate hope for others. He explained that when he learned he had cancer, his successful strategy for survival was knowing that others survived, too.

"When placed in charge," said the articulate leader, "take control."

There is something heroic in every person.