
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 21, 1991                   TAG: 9104210165
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA                                LENGTH: Medium

SAYING MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, THE BIG GENERAL COMES HOME

Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, outspoken architect of the U.S.-led victory in the Persian Gulf War, bade an emotional farewell to Saudi Arabia on Saturday and headed home to life as an American folk hero.

Marking the formal end to the U.S. combat role in the Persian Gulf, Schwarzkopf saluted his troops and departed from Riyadh Air Base, saying his mission was completed despite personal disappointment that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein remains in power and dismay over the "tragic" plight of refugees who have poured from Iraq.

"There's no question in my mind that we completed our mission," Schwarzkopf, 56, said.

With Schwarzkopf gone, the U.S. Central Command in Riyadh, headquarters for a swift and devastating allied rout that ejected Iraqi troops from Kuwait, closed after 258 days of operation. American GIs are being dispatched home daily; about 260,000 remained in the region Saturday, down from a wartime high of 540,000.

The four-star general was expected to arrive at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., this morning. With his new-found fame, Schwarzkopf is in a position to pursue a number of lucrative book deals or speaking engagements, but he said Saturday that his plans do not include running for public office.

At a formal ceremony before his departure, the commander of Operation Desert Storm exchanged prestigious medals and effusive words of praise and thanks with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Khalid ibn Sultan, leader of the Joint Arab Forces during the war.

In the Arab tradition, the two men embraced after a visibly moved Schwarzkopf became the first non-Saudi to receive the silver Order of King Abdulaziz, named for the founder of Saudi Arabia.

"There are two people to whom I make this presentation: to Gen. Schwarzkopf, the remarkable general and commander; and to Norm Schwarzkopf, my friend," Prince Khalid said.

For many Americans, the disturbing aftermath of the war is not likely to detract from their admiration for Schwarzkopf, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran who is credited with masterminding ground war strategy in the Persian Gulf war that destroyed the enemy with lightning speed.

by CNB