Generals Likely to Get Medals, Not Another Star

Gens. Colin L. Powell and H. Norman Schwarzkopf may be rewarded for their Gulf War victory with medals and new titles, but it’s less likely that five-star rank will be bestowed upon them.

The Senate approved legislation Thursday that authorizes President Bush, on behalf of Congress, to award gold medals to Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Schwarzkopf, commander of allied forces in the Persian Gulf.

The legislation was passed by voice vote and sent to the House. The non-military congressional gold medals are specially minted for their recipients. Bronze duplicates are produced for sale to the public.

A rare fifth star, for the rank general of the Army, requires presidential approval and an act of Congress. One was last awarded in 1950 to Gen. Omar N. Bradley.

“There’s no need to do it,” said one senior Pentagon military official. “You’d be screwing around with the entire military structure, and we never liked an imperial military.”

Even at the White House, where euphoria reigns in the aftermath of the war, there was no sense of a fifth star.

“They’re usually not given as rewards, but as promotions to people that are moving into significant positions,” Chief of Staff John H. Sununu said. “You may not” see another star for the generals, he added.

Military protocol rules out an extra star for Schwarzkopf alone.

He and Powell are among 12 Army four-star generals. But Schwarzkopf, as Central Command field commander, is outranked by Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell would need a fifth star to stay ahead.

Likewise, Schwarzkopf is outranked by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Carl Vuono. And John Galvin, supreme commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has more troops under his command.

Military historian Trevor N. Dupuy, a retired Army colonel, said that while it is unlikely the five-star general will be revived, the United States hasn’t had a war outcome to celebrate since World War II.

“In the euphoria of victory, the U.S. Congress does many things,” he said.