EXCLUSIVE: ARMY OFFICER HIGHLY CRITICAL OF NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF

Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf

Retired Army Lt. Col. John Cook, author of the incendiary, compelling new book Afghanistan: The Perfect Failure, is a former counter-intelligence officer who spent nearly five years in Afghanistan and two and 1/2 years in Vietnam. An outspoken man who never pulls a punch, he has some very strong opinions about Norman Schwarzkopf, the legendary general who died last week at age 72. 

Cook, who I've written about before at Newsweek/The Daily Beast, points out that while Schwarzkopf expertly commanded the Gulf War, he never lifted a finger after that war to support veterans with Gulf War Illness, which according to veterans advocate Paul Sullivan at Bergmann & Moore, a law firm that solely represents veterans, still afflicts more than 250,000 of our brave troops.

Schwarzkopf's command of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm is a military feat that Cook says will be studied for decades as a "text-book case of how to plan, coordinate and carry out an extremely complex military operation under very difficult conditions. The operation was brilliantly executed."

Afterward, Schwarzkopf and his fellow victorious heroes were canonized and given a parade in Washington DC. Then in 1992, after more than 30 years of service, the general retired amid great glory. He's since been referred to as "a soldier's soldier" and "the greatest combat commander since World War II." 

But are these epithets fitting? Had the Gulf War actually ended in 1992, Cook says Schwarzkopf's image and legacy would indeed be beyond reproach. Unfortunately, Cook says, "the war did not end there."

Indeed, as the 90’s continued, disturbing stories began to emerge from various health facilities that something was seriously wrong with a lot of the returning Gulf War veterans. They were having trouble breathing, sleeping, even functioning normally. In the beginning, the government insisted on lumping all these complaints under the general category of psychological disorders produced by the stress in combat. 

But the complaints kept growing, and the huge numbers of the complaints made a psychological excuse untenable. 

"The shooting war lasted less than 100 hours, yet 250,000 of the 697,000 deployed were now exhibiting serious medical issues," notes Cook. "Something had happened to the troops in the desert prior to the attack. The government kept dragging its feet and blaming the troops for making up an illness that was becoming all too real. Finally, when it could no longer be ignored, it was given a name: Gulf War Syndrome. Only recently has it been designated Gulf War Illness."

Cook says that after 20 years of "pain and suffering," perhaps the government is now ready to face the fact that real soldiers have a real illness and it is not in their head. 

"These fights are always hard, just like getting attention for Agent Orange in Vietnam," says Cook. "We now know it causes serious problems, even death, and it is recognized as a legitimate illness worthy of treatment."

So where was Stormin’ Norman during these 20 years of pain and suffering by his troops that had done everything he asked of them? Was he at the forefront in the effort to get to the real cause of this illness? 

"No," Cook says flatly. "For the most part, he sat on the sideline and, when given a chance to speak out and demand something be done, he remained silent," Cook says. "These were the same men and women that had made him great, handing him his greatest victory, the crowning achievement to his career. And he did not speak out when he could have had a profound impact and built a bright fire under the bureaucracy. He did nothing."

Cook insists that Schwarzkopf should have listened to these veterans when they said they were in trouble and, more important, believed them and then did something, just as they did something when he gave the order to attack. 

"So many senior commanders lose sight of what they were taught as Second Lieutenants as they move through the ranks, and that is to always take care of the troops because it is the troops that make you relevant, not the stars on the collar," says Cook. "Without them, you are nothing but a parade ground commander. Yes, somewhere along the way, General Schrarzkopf lost his way."

So was Schwarzkopf ever really a hero, a "soldier’s soldier," as he was often called? 

"Perhaps, at one time, he really was," says Cook. "But not when it counted. It is very touching that an elementary school was named in his honor in Tampa. However, it would be far more fitting if there was a building somewhere bearing the name General Norman Schwartzkopf Rehabilitation Center for Gulf War Illness. Now that would be a bright, shining legacy to last through the ages, not the somewhat tarnished legacy he has left us."