the leader of "operation desert storm", general norman schwarzkopf. veteran passed away in december. today loved ones and admirers are remembering the man known as storm inch norman. he was known for dedication to his country. we have more from the military academy at woes point, new york. rick? >> reporter: a number of friend and family and dignitaries are in the cadet chapel where the life of general norman schwarzkopf is being remembered this hour. the dignitaries include former vice president dick cheney the second of tear of defense during the war. colin powell, retired four-star general chairman. joint chiefs a and his daughter and wife. who remember norman tough, no-nonsense, frank speaking leader who is described as john wayne swagger and growl like a grizzly. he led troops during the invasion of gred made today and command the operation desert storm and ended ground war in iraq in four days. he spoke powerfully at root evironment ceremony in 1991. >> no matter how eloquent the orator, no matter how prolific the poet, the no matter how lyrical

general norman schwarzkopf will be laid to rest today at west point. a memorial service for the man known as stormin' norman will be held this afternoon. he drove forces like saddam hussein out. he was 78 when he died of complications in november. >>> the first lady is taking the let's move initiative to chicago today. after kicking off a tour in mississippi she'll make an announcement to bring physical activities back to school with help from athletes like bo jackson and serena williams. >>> and happy birthday to stage and screen siren bernadette peters. she turns 65 today. >>> all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments on those stories and the best political analysis on msnbc. and tonight, be sure to watch "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. savannah is live at the vatican this morning for complete coverage of pope benedict's final day as pontiff. >>> and a live look at princess diana's famous royal gowns as they head to auction. well,

funeral services will be held for general norman schwarzkopf.he 78-year-old died in december from complications from pneumonia. he's best known for thinks no-nonsense approach during the first gulf war. schwarzkopf will be buried at u.s. military academy at west point. his family delayed the funeral due to potential conflicts with the presidential inauguration and martin luther king jr. day events. >>> the woman at the center of one of the most shocking anti-smoking campaigns of all time has died. the family of debbie austin says she died of cancer on friday at a hospital in southern california. austin first appeared on tv in 1996, smoking a cigarette through a hole in her throat. the anti-smoking ad was designed to illustrate just how addicting smoking can be. austin started smoking at age 13 and never quit. her larynx was removed when she was 42 to allow her to breathe. debbie austin was 62 years old. >>> meanwhile, sacramento lawmakers considering a new law that would prohibit smoking in all multifamily homes. the measure would prohibit smoki

remembering norman schwarzkopf. academy holding a memorial service today for one of its most famous alums. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. martha: fox news alert. just moments from now pope benedict the xvi will depart the vatican for the final time as pope. he will board a helicopter and take the short ride to castle ganolfo, the retreat outside of rome. amy kellogg is there watching all of this for us. >> reporter: martha we've said so much about this pope in the last few weeks and speculated a lot about the future. but one word has not been said, and that is [speaking italian ] the italian word which means, we will meet again. no one knows whether or not we will see the pope again once he goes into his hidden retirement. these are very poignant moments particularly for the faithful. and it has to be said this a lot of italians will say that this has not been the most popular pope. he followed in the footsteps of john paul th

. >> i have therefore directed general norman schwarzkopf in conjunction with coalition forces to usell force is available, including ground forces to reject the iraqi army from kuwait. the liberation of kuwait has now entered its final stage. i have complete confidence in the ability of the coalition forces, swiftly and decisively to accomplish their mission. kuwait is liberated. iraq's army is defeated. our military object is there matt. kuwait is once more in the hands of kuwaitis, in control of their own destiny. we share in your joy, a joy tempered only by our compassion for their ordeal. >> rely halfway around the world to do what is moral and just in right. we fight hard and with others we won the war. they lifted the open of oppression and tyranny from a small country that many americans have never even heard of and we asked nothing in return. we're coming home now, proud, confident, heads high. there is much that we must do at home and abroad and we will do it. we are americans. may god bless this great nation, the united states of america. thank you all very much. nice mac ♪

. >>> general norman schwarzkopf will be buried today at the u.s. military academy at west point.year-old died from complications from pneumonia a few days after christmas. his family delayed the funeral due to potential conflicts with the inauguration. schwarzkopf was best known by the nickname stormin' norman for his no-nonsense approach to the way he commanded allied forces during the first gulf war. >>> coming up, an act of desperation from a man described as a ticking time bomb. what his shootout suspect told his family moments after he allegedly killed -- rather before he allegedly killed two santa cruz detectives. >>> and we are hours away from the end of the pope's last day on the job. we'll tell you what's next for him and what's in store for the catholic church ahead in a live report from the vatican. >>> meanwhile, minutes away from your official sunrise, and it is spectacular this morning. we're going to get about 11 1/2 hours of sunshine and near record highs today. but don't get comfortable. too comfortable, anyway. the rain and the cold returns. lots to talk about i

. >>> and norman schwarzkopf will be laid to rest. the commander known as stormin' norman will be held at the academy. he will be buried next to his father on the west point ground. he was a graduate of west point and served two tours in vietnam. but he's best known for commanding the u.s.-led coalition that drove saddam hussein's forces out of kuwait. he died of complications from a pneumonia in december. >>> a shakeup in the brentwood school district. the scandal that cost the superintendent his job. >>> good morning. northbound 280. the traffic here is a little bit -- is a little busy getting into the valley. we'll tell you more straight ahead. medications? i don't know. last immunization shots? really? honey, what's my blood pressure medicine called? one time i took something and i blew up like a puffer fish. i'm probably allergic to that. at kaiser permanente, your medical information is available to you and your doctors. quickly. securely. no guesswork required. better information. better care. kaiserpermanente. thrive. >>> 8:55

of course, norman schwarzkopf served two tours of duty in vietnam ap received three silver stars andasion of granada and led operation desert storm ending that ground war in iraq in 1991 in just four days and had some choice words for the former iraqi leader. >> as far as saddam hussein being a great military strategist, he is neither a strategist nor is he schooled in the operational arts, for 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. (laughter) . >> reporter: general schwarzkopf also is being remembered here by his wife brenda. he has two daughters and a son and is being laid to rest, megyn, very close to his father's grave. his father was also a west point graduate. >> megyn: what a man. recognizance -- rick, new. and there were intense moments in the white house press room. and there was another allegation an official threatening reporter bob woodward because he challenged the president's narrative for suggesting who is responsible for the budget changes scheduled to kick in. the president obam

. >>> general norman schwarzkopf will be laid to rest today, he was 78 years old. >>> how about a honeymoonlionaire space tourist dennis tito wants to send a couple, preferably married, to mars and back in 2018. >> i could do that. >> that seems awfully soon. he's the first space tourist visiting the spacetation aboard a russian rocket at a cost of $20 million. >> would you do that? >> no. what are you asking? >> i've been fighting with him all morning. i don't want to marry him. >> that would be weird. >> would you take your wife? >> i would not take your husband. this is all very confusing. i don't think i want to go to mars. >>> pandora is going to limit how much free music you can listen to, capping it to 40 hours per month. >> wow. >> once you hit that limit you can pay 99 cents for unlimited music for the rest of the month. pandora says it's because of rising royalty costs. it's not much money but i do suspect that anyone who listens to pandora will have to pay the 99 cent cents. >> a buck a month. >> i'm going to mars, but not with you. >>> the vice president says that he cannot beli

i have therefore directed general norman schwarzkopf in conjunction with coalition forces, to use alllable including ground forces, to eject the iraqi army from kuwait. the liberation is in the final. i have complete confidence in the ability of the coalition forces, a swiftly and decisively, to accomplish their mission. ♪ kuwait is liberated. the iraqi army is defeated. our military objectives are met. kuwait is once more in the hands of kuwaitis, control of their own destiny. we share in their joy, tempered only by our compassion for their ordeal. we went halfway around the world to do what is immoral, just common and right. we fought hard, and with others we won the war. meet it took aggression and tear in may from a small country that most americans had never heard of and asked nothing in return. we're coming home now proud proud, confident, heads high, there is much that we must do at home and abroad and we will do it. we are americans. may god bless this great nation, the united states of america. [applause] ♪ ♪ >> dr. jeffrey engel. [applause] >> howdy. imus a lot of things abo

. >> i have therefore directed general norman schwarzkopf in conjunction with coalition forces to useavailable, including ground forces to eject the iraqi army from kuwait. the liberation of kuwait has entered its final phase. i have complete confidence in the ability of the coalition forces, swiftly and decisively, to accomplish their mission. >> kuwait is liberated. iraqi army is defeated. our military objectives are met. kuwait is once more in the hands of kuwaitis and they are in control of their own destiny. the joy tempered only by our compassion for their ordeal. >> we went halfway around the world to do what is moral and just and right. and we fought hard, and with others we have won the war. we look to the yoke of aggression and journey from a small country that many americans have never even heard of. and we ask nothing in return. we are coming home now. proud and confident and heads held high. there is much that we must do. at home and abroad, and we will do it. we are america. may god bless this great nation. the united states of america. thank you very much. back >> okay.

. >> it was about two months later that the late general norman schwarzkopf negotiated the cease-firedesert storm. >>> coming up, how using the term gun control has become a bad strategy in the fight against gun violence. plus, new details of how former congressman jesse jackson, jr., lived off his campaign war chest. we'll bring you that right after the break. d. now find the most hard core driver in america. that guy, put him in it. what's this? [ male announcer ] tell him he's about to find out. you're about to find out. [ male announcer ] test it. highlight the european chassis, 6 speed manual, dual exhaust, wide stance, clean lines, have him floor it, spin it, punch it, drift it, put it through its paces, is he ppy? oha, he's happy! male aouncer ] and that's how you test your car for fun. easy. a hairline fracture to the mandible and contusions to the metacarpus. what do you see? um, i see a duck. be more specific. i see the aflac duck. i see the aflac duck out of work and not making any money. i see him moving in with his parents and selling bootleg dvds out of the back of a van