Iconic Fort Bragg veteran 'Iron Mike' dies at 91

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- An icon of special operation and one of the army's most battle-tested officers has died at the age of 91.

Major General Michael D. Healy died Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida, The Fayetteville Observer reports.

The Major General, who retired in 1981, was the nation's most senior Special Forces soldier.

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He was a veteran of the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

He acted as the inspiration for John Wayne's character, "Col. Iron Mike Kirby," in the 1968 film The Green Berets.

Maj. Gen. Healy was also a former commander of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg.