Military and Political Leaders

of the Persian Gulf War

(1924- ) George Bush was President of the United States during the war. Before his Presidency he served as Ronald Reagan's Vice-President. He had also been the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, director of the CIA, and a decorated war hero. Before the Gulf War, he initiated Operation Desert Shield to protect Kuwait. This operation became Operation Desert Storm, the successful removal of Iraq from Kuwait.

"...any means necessary..."

(1937- )Saddam Hussein is the president and dictator of Iraq. He was born into a poor illiterate peasant family in 1937. He is known a cruel tyrant, crushing rebellions using poison gas to kill civilians. Up until the Persian Gulf War, he was supported by most Western nations for stopping the spread of fundamentalist Islam.

(1937- )General Colin Powell was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, under President Bush. He also held other positions in the Army and in the Office of Management and Budget, Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy. This photo shows him speaking at the Republican National Convention in 1996. He is seen by some as a potential Presidential candidate, although he has made little public comment about this possibility.

(1934- )General H. Norman "Bear" Schwarzkopf was the Supreme Commander of Coalition forces in the Middle East. He graduated from West Point in 1956, and then became an infantry second lieutenant. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, for which he earned three Silver Stars. He once ran across a minefield to save a wounded comrade. He is a highly decorated war hero.He quickly rose through the ranks and held many increasingly higher command positions.In 1988, he earned the rank of general, getting his fourth star.

"To lead in the 21st century, to take soldiers, sailors, airmen into battle-- you will be required to have both character and competence."