Sun Tzu
For at least the last 2000 years, Sun Tzu has had a tremendous influence on military thinking. The Art of War is credited by Mao Zedong as having helped him defeat Chiang Kai-Shek in the Chinese Civil War.  Ho Chi Minh was a fan of Sun Tzu. He led the Communist Vietnamese in their fight against American-backed South Vietnam. The American generals Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. and Colin Powell followed Sun Tzu's principles during the Gulf War.