Retired Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded the U.S.-led military campaign that drove Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in 1991, died Thursday at age 78.

Gen. Schwarzkopf died in Tampa, Fla., where he lived. A sister of the general, Ruth Barenbaum of Middlebury, Vt., said he died of complications from pneumonia, the Associated Press reported.

Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf AP

Popularly known as "Stormin' Norman" for his sometimes explosive temper, the charismatic general led 800,000 troops from a coalition of allied nations in Operation Desert Storm, orchestrating a high-tech war that was won with relatively light U.S. casualties but which left the Iraqi dictator in power.

Famous for his plain-spoken press briefings, the war made Gen. Schwarzkopf a household name in the U.S. and a global celebrity.

Gen. Schwarzkopf, shown in February 1991, discussing the success of the allied forces in liberating Kuwait. Associated Press

In a statement, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Gen. Schwarzkopf "left an indelible imprint on the United States military and on the country."

Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Gen. Schwarzkopf "one of the 20th century's finest soldiers and leaders."

The 1991 campaign to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait began with an aerial bombardment,which Americans watched unfold live on CNN as the nation's the first-ever armchair war experience. That was followed by a ground assault, and then a cease-fire 100 hours later. Gen. Schwarzkopf, using maps and pointers to describe the combat, became an iconic image of the war.

Asked at a press briefing in 1991 about Mr. Hussein's military skills, the general gave one of his blunt and biting retorts: "He is neither a strategist, nor is he schooled in the operational art, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he a soldier. Other than that, he's a great military man—I want you to know that."

Born in 1934 in Trenton, N.J., the son of an Army officer, Gen. Schwarzkopf followed in his father's footsteps by enrolling in West Point. During two tours in Vietnam, he earned three silver stars.

When he took charge of the overall allied effort in the first Gulf War, he was commander of the U.S. military's Central Command, based in Tampa.

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