Marine Base Quantico and my Letter from H. Norman Schwarzkopf

Marine Base Quantico Desert Shield/Desert Storm Marine Letter Donation

Although they did not accept my collection, on January 11, 2021, I donated my Desert Shield/Desert Storm collection of the letters I wrote and received from 39 Marines on the trip wire to Marine Base Quantico. 

Interestingly, the Archivist said 3 things of interest when I delivered them to the Marine Corps University.

1. They did not have many letters, as yet, from the Desert Shield/Desert Storm service members. When I asked why, she said: "Not enough of them have died yet so their families have yet to donate them."

2. Desert Shield/Desert Storm was the last war when Marines actually wrote letters home, as in my collection. The new digital world means that Marines now use text messages, instant messing, email and other digital platforms. Result? No historical record of their experience.

3. The copies of the Stars and Stripes and other magazines and newspapers they sent me, as well as the news stores I sent them, would be valuable. Apparently time moves on and such artifacts disappear.

For a refresher about this war, see General Stormin Norman Schwartzkopf here.

And here.

For me, the greatest part of meeting with the Archivist was the actual room. 

There was a stunning photo of the orderly retreat of the Marines from the Korean Chosin Reservoir. 

Background of that stunning battle can be found  here, and here, and here.

There are many books that offer the story of the tactical and strategic mistakes of the egomaniac General Arthur McCarthy's gamesmanship on the Yalu River that caused the Red Chinese to enter the war, in contrast to the tactical and strategic genius of 1st Marine Division Major General Oliver P. Smith.

The best one I have found is A Christmas Far from Home: An Epic Tale of Courage and Survival During the Korean War by Stanley Weintraub.

As the cover describes it: 'The epic story of the 1950 Christmas season, when American troops faced extreme cold, a determined enemy, and long odds.

The day after Thanksgiving, five months into the Korean War, General Douglas MacArthur flew to American positions in the north and grandly announced an end-the-war-by-Christmas offensive, despite recent evidence of intervention by Mao's Chinese Troops.

Marching north in plunging temperatures, General Edward Almond's X Corps, which included a Marine division under the able leadership of General Oliver Smith, encountered little resistance. 

But thousands of Chinese, who had infiltrated across the frozen Yalu River, were lying in wait and would soon trap tens of thousands of U.S. troops.

Led by the Marines, an overwhelmed X Corps evacuated the frigid, mountainous Chosin Reservoir vastness and fought a swarming enemy and treacherous snow and ice to reach the coast. 

Weather, terrain, Chinese firepower, and a 4,000-foot chasm made escape seem impossible in the face of a vanishing Christmas. But endurance and sacrifice prevailed, and the last troopships weighed anchor on Christmas Eve.

In the tradition of his Silent Night and Pearl Harbor Christmas, Stanley Weintraub presents another gripping narrative of a wartime Christmas season."

What a story of courage, strategy, and brilliant leadership and grunt grit. What an honor to see the painting of the Chosin Marines in that room.

God Bless the Marines.

My H. Norman Schwarzkopf Letter Donation

H. Norma Schwarzkopf sent me a letter dated 12 January 1991, with four days left in Operation Desert Shield and four days before Operation Desert Storm began. Beneath a red flag with four gold stars, it reads:

COMMANDER IN CHIEF

UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND

OPERATION DESERT SHIELD, APO NY 09852

Dear Mr. Curley,
       Thanks for sending me a copy of your letter to President Bush.  Believe me when I say I will consider all options when it comes to achieving victory.  It means a great deal to hear from fine citizens, such as you, who support our efforts in this time of world crisis.
       Rest assured that the safety and well-being of my troops has been and will continue to be foremost on my mind. Have no fear, if it comes to war, we are not going into this one with one hand tied behind our backs.
       Again, thanks for your support.

                                   Sincerely,

                                   H. NORMAN SCHWARTZKOPF
                                   General, U.S. Army

Funny thing is, I never sent a letter to General Schwarzkopf. On November 2, 1990, I did send a letter to President George H. W. Bush with the following strategy.

November 2, 1990
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20008

Dear Mr. President,

Considering substantial Iraqi armed forces due in and around Kuwait City, would it be effective for us to adopt a "desert island hopping strategy by going around the "island" of Kuwait and racing straight for Baghdad and the Hussein clique in the event of war?
          This strategy follows centuries of American doctrine. General George Washington used it very effectively against a vastly superior force at Trenton.
Germantown, etc. General Lee repeatedly beat 4 to 1 odds at critical battles during the Civil War by using such an attack strategy. His forces feigned to the front and then rolled rapidly to the left or right to quickly win over vast Union armies. General MacArthur realized early on he could never defeat the superior Japanese forces in WWII by taking them on man for man so he by-passed them time and again until he took Tokyo. Your military and strategic advisers can certainly cite many other examples of the effective use of this "by-passing" strategy drawn from numerous battles during these and other successful American wars.
          These advisers are, not doubt, offering far wiser and more learned advice and options to you at present. I only write because I believe such a strategy, if adopted, will minimize losses. Although I feel a little self conscious about writing, I do so because I currently correspond with a host of marines located just ten miles from the Kuwait border.  After arriving at his "desert island hopping" strategy, I believe I owe it to them -- in hopes of extending their precious lives -- to at least suggest it to you and your advisers for consideration.
          May God grant you wisdom whatever course of action you take. My family and I will continue to keep you in our prayers.
                                                                              Respectfully yours,

                                                                              Bruce V. J. Curley

Now, how did that letter get from the White House to General Schwarzkopf? I have no way of knowing. 
I do know that when his letter arrived in June of 1991, well after the war ended in such a spectacular victory for us, my wife said, "Who do you know in Saudi Arabia?"
"No one." I replied.
"Well, this letter is addressed to you and it is from Saudi Arabia."
I looked at it and it had the four star flag on the outside, but no name. 
My son and I had been writing and sending things to about 32 service members, so it could have been one of them.
But when I opened it, sand grains feel out. 
These grains of sand rubbed the ink from the line, "...no fear, if it comes to war, we..." 
And it was the letter reproduced above.
What is remarkable is that a letter from an unknown civilian was analyzed in the White House, sent to the General, and that he took the time 4 days before the war to respond to it. I can't think of many countries where that could happen.
It is one small story in a fabled story that is General Schwarzkopf's life. 
Learn more about him. 
Especially if you are a junior officer in the military. 
He was a real general, in contrast to the perfumed prince generals numerous these days, politicians following whatever winds blow in the White House and willing to do anything to get ahead. 
Colin Powell, who stopped General Schwarzkopf from going to Baghdad because of how the news media was showing the Iraqi soldiers deaths, is the kind of craven, politically driven, advance by plot rather than competence, that is the opposite of General Schwarzkopf. 
Sadly, he is the model of so many current generals who are so craven they print manuals saying that Taliban attacks on American troops are due to our troops insensitivity. 
God help us.

• It Doesn't Take a Hero" is his autobiography. I read it and reread it. Besides being a book about leadership, it is chock full with history. His father's and Norman's days in Tehran during WWII (and thus his deep insight into the Muslim mind), with the Lindbergh baby kidnapping alone is worth the read. But there are detailed insights. For example, at one point the Saudi's kept complaining the American tanks kept breaking down. This is weeks before Operation Desert Storm when he had a thousand other tasks to deal with. But he stopped, sent his top general to find out what was going on, and quickly learned that the Saudi's, all being lazy, had ignored their instructions to change the tank filters when they filled with sand. Instead of arguing, he had his men do it and added hundreds of tanks to his arsenal.
• Bio post death of General Schwarzkopf can be found here in the Tampa Bay Times.
• General Schwarzkopf's 14 Rules for Leaders can be found here.
• Leading Marines link on General Schwarzkopf's leadership.