He was a four-star General

The impressiveness of Norman Schwarzkopf's military career ascent through the ranks cannot be overstated. In 1965, he was initially dispatched to Vietnam as a consultant for the South Vietnamese airborne division; two years later, he would return as a major.

After a brief period of time spent instructing at West Point University, he would later return to Vietnam, where he would serve for one year and be awarded three silver stars for his gallantry. During this tour, he also had two injuries. He served two tours of service in South Vietnam (1965–1966 and 1969–1970) during the Vietnam War and came home as a highly decorated combat veteran. He held a number of two-year positions between 1974 and 1982, progressively moving up the ranks. When the United States invaded Grenada in 1983, he was made a major general and in charge of the ground forces.

He was promoted to colonel in 1975, and by 1986, he had ascended the ranks to become lieutenant general. In 1988, he would finally achieve four-star general status. At MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, he was later named commander of the US Central Command.