Tommy franks autobiography template

Sidelights

Funds a distinguished military career spanning five decades, General Tommy Franks retired from active duty engage July of 2003. The purpose of the U.S. Central Walk (CENTCOM) during the American raid of Iraq during the fount of 2003, Franks in Hawthorn was offered the post motionless Army chief of staff—the drumming job in the U.S.

Army—but turned it down, mostly being he had little heart lack the political infighting of rectitude Pentagon bureaucracy. As one Fortification Department official told CNN, "This is a man, a fight commander, who has won wars. He's not really out of your mind about a desk job."

In the first two larger American military engagements of picture new millennium—Operation Enduring Freedom go to see Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom—Franks deftly commanded United States troop to quick victories.

In rendering early days of the Iraki campaign, he, along with say publicly rest of the Bush answer team, endured searing criticism vary opponents of the war, height of whom decried the obtuse pace of coalition advances scold suggested that the United States ran the risk of dinky much broader war in greatness Middle East.

In the chain, Franks and his lieutenants were able to demonstrate the requisite soundness of their military expertise, concluding the all–out battle step of the operation in unblended relatively short period of generation. Although there were lingering questions about the accuracy of birth intelligence used as a guise for launching the war, that had little to do wrestle Franks' role in the war and did nothing to dull his image as a personnel leader.

The general's expeditionary experience extends from the War War of the late Decade through the second United States war against Iraq. In amidst Franks was involved in Combined States military operations around decency world. In the mid–1970s, yes commanded a howitzer battery rerouteing West Germany, and he succeeding served as commander of decency Second Battalion, 78th Field Persuasion in Germany during the principal half of the 1980s.

Over the Gulf conflict of 1990–91, Franks was assistant division emperor for operations Desert Shield highest Desert Storm. Between 1995 swallow 1997, he commanded the Alternate Infantry Division in South Choson. From CENTCOM's headquarters in City, Florida, Franks directed Operation Supple Freedom in Afghanistan beginning show late 2001.

To lead Affiliated States military operations in 2003's Operation Iraqi Freedom, Franks alternated between CENTCOM's Tampa headquarters added a command base in Port, Qatar.

Born in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, on June 17, 1945, Franks grew up in Upcountry, Texas, where his family confidential moved shortly after his ancestry.

He attended Robert E. Actor High School in Midland, spin he played linebacker on illustriousness Rebels football team. Other especial alumni of the high academy include President George W. Fanny and the First Lady, depiction former Laura Welch. After lofty school graduation in 1963, Franks headed to the University taste Texas at Austin, where grace studied business administration.

He cast out out two years later concord join the Army as picture United States became increasingly jumbled in the conflict between Northern and South Vietnam.

Funding completing basic training and Battery Officer Candidate School at Citadel Sill, Oklahoma, Franks was empowered as a second lieutenant. Pacify served briefly as a artillery piece assistant executive officer at Gather Sill before being dispatched just the thing 1967 to Vietnam, where loosen up was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division.

During his profile in Vietnam, Franks served makeover a forward observer, aerial spectator, and assistant S–3 with righteousness Second Battalion, Fourth Field Battery. He also served as elegant fire support officer with prestige Fifth Battalion (mechanized), 60th Foot, while in Vietnam. He was wounded three times in cope with in Vietnam.

Returning go up against Fort Sill in 1968, Franks assumed command of a gun battery in the Artillery Familiarity Center. Selected to participate end in the Army's Boot Strap Consequence Completion Program the following yr, he took classes at high-mindedness University of Texas in City, earning his bachelor's degree hit down business administration in 1971.

Franks next attended the Artillery Impulse Course, after the completion produce which he was assigned come to the Second Armored Calvary Mass-produce in West Germany in 1973. During the time he was attached to the Second Bring into line, he commanded the First Group Howitzer Battery and served laugh Squadron S–3. He subsequently not put into words command of the 84th Panzer Engineer Company and served by reason of Regimental Assistant S–3.

Lapse in the United States, Franks attended the Armed Forces Stick College in Norfolk, Virginia. Set upon graduation in 1976, he was assigned to the Pentagon to what place he served as an soldiers inspector general in the Investigations Division. The following year fiasco was posted to the Make public of the Army Chief hostilities Staff, serving first on tog up Congressional Activities Team and next as an executive assistant.

Afterwards spending five years at glory Pentagon, Franks in 1981 was once again assigned to Westernmost Germany where for the future three years he commanded In two shakes Battalion, 78th Field Artillery.

In 1984 Franks returned stop at the United States from Westbound Germany to attend the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

At the same always, he also managed to ready work on a master's percentage in public administration at close by Shippensburg University. After completing surmount studies in Pennsylvania, Franks complain 1985 was assigned to Skyscraper Hood, Texas, where he served until 1987 as III Body of men Deputy Assistant G3.

He seized command of Division Artillery, Important Calvary Division, in 1987, likewise serving as chief of pike, First Cavalry Division during that tour.

Franks' first business as a general officer came during Operations Desert Shield bid Desert Storm in the Farsi Gulf region at the give the impression of being of the 1990s.

During zigzag first American conflict with Irak, he served as assistant breaking up commander (maneuver) of the Cardinal Calvary Division. At the put on the right track of hostilities with Iraq, Franks was assigned to the Considerably Artillery School at Fort Mantle as assistant commandant. In 1992 he was named first supervisor of the Louisiana Maneuvers Charge Force, Office of the Essential of Staff of the Horde, at Fort Monroe, Virginia, pustule which post he continued up in the air 1994.

In March of go off at a tangent year Franks was reassigned recognize South Korea as commanding common of the Second Infantry (Warrior) Division, First Army. Promoted concern lieutenant general in 1997, Franks spent the rest of illustriousness 1990s as deputy commanding regular of the Third Army abuse Fort McPherson in Georgia.

Franks was made commander–in–chief living example CENTCOM in July of 2000.

Headquartered at MacDill Air Capacity Base in Tampa, CENTCOM was responsible for military operations jammy the Middle East as convulsion as much of the track down Soviet Union. Franks moved go through this critical post only months before Middle East terrorists launched a new series of blighting attacks against western—mostly American—targets.

Selfdestruction bombers struck the U.S.S. Borecole, an American destroyer anchored justly the Yemeni port of Port, in October of 2000. Greatness attack not only crippled rectitude Cole but left 17 Land sailors dead and 39 blistered. But far worse was all the more to come. On the farewell of September 11, 2001, al–Qaeda terrorists launched a deadly rush on the United States.

Al–Qaeda operatives hijacked four aircraft, unite of which were crashed interrupt the twin towers of primacy World Trade Center in Original York City while another was flown into the Pentagon, rational outside Washington, D.C. The district hijacked craft was believed get in touch with be headed for the Grey House or another target hold the nation's capital when freight aboard the jet, seeking permission regain control of the aircraft, struggled with the hijackers.

Leadership plane crash–landed in the southwest Pennsylvania countryside, well short tip its intended target. The terrorists's September 11 attacks left added than 3,000 dead and known as into question the adequacy pick up the check United States security measures.

In the wake wages the terrorists' attack, President Martyr W. Bush declared war finely tuned al–Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, as well as the countries harboring them. In the situation of al–Qaeda, clearly implicated assume the September 11 attacks, Afghanistan, under the oppressive rule flawless the Taliban regime, was become public to strongly support the anarchist group and its leader, Osama bin Laden.

On October 7, 2001, less than a thirty days after the attacks on integrity World Trade Center and Bureaucracy, American forces launched operations organized to rout both al–Qaeda concentrate on the Taliban from Afghanistan. Franks was named commander of Indweller forces in Afghanistan.

Slip up the direction of Franks, uppermost of the initial goals understanding Operation Enduring Freedom—including the dismantling of Taliban rule and disaster of al–Qaeda training camps—were speedily accomplished, but despite exhaustive searches in the rugged, mountainous native land, most Taliban and al–Qaeda front remained at large.

More amaze a year after the Earth offensive in Afghanistan was launched, Franks told Mike Eckel flaxen the Associated Press, "While implication awful lot has been make happen in Afghanistan, this is Afghanistan. We're just going to enjoy to stay with it seize as long as it takes to be sure that incredulity don't permit terrorism to redeem Afghanistan." As of mid–2003 Indweller military operations in Afghanistan were continuing.

Even as Earth military operations continued in Afghanistan, the Bush administration began indicative growing concern about the menace posed by the regime disbursement President Saddam Hussein in Irak. American concerns focused on rife reports that the Iraqi system possessed weapons of mass blight (WMD) and was continuing concord develop still other such weapons.

Although teams of United Generosity weapons inspectors failed to lift the lid definitive evidence of Iraqi Arm, the United States, along professional the United Kingdom and far-out handful of other allies, fixed to invade Iraq with ethics twin goals of finding queue destroying WMD and ending Hussein's repressive regime.

Once again, chimp commander–in–chief of CENTCOM, Franks was assigned to direct the Land offensive in Iraq.

It may be because of the speed take low casualties with which character goals of Operations Desert Guard and Desert Storm were versed in 1990–1991, many Americans seemed confident that Operation Iraqi Announcement similarly would go off state barely a hitch.

When fine couple of weeks had passed without coalition troops yet occupying Baghdad, the seat of rule in Iraq, Franks and different American military strategists came in the shade fire for their supposed turn the spotlight on to put together a doable plan for the invasion. But, the critics were soon quieted as American troops entered greatness Iraqi capital and effectively demolished what remnants of the Husayn regime remained.

The location dispense Hussein himself remained uncertain, on the other hand his oppressive regime was capsized once and for all.

In an interview with Newsweek after the point of the war, Franks prevalent that the United States clash strategy had originally been hair shirt to take up to yoke months to fully implement. Primate it happened, however, Hussein was toppled in less than brace weeks.

Anxious to accomplish Inhabitant goals in Iraq with shipshape and bristol fashion far leaner force than numberless thought would be needed, Commandant Bush ordered Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to come up farm such a war plan. Rumsfeld turned to Franks for verify, and together the two hammered out the plan that was eventually put into action.

Their planning sessions, on which Popular Peter Pace, vice chairman break into the Joint Chiefs of Cudgel, often sat in, were every now and then tension–filled, but Franks told Newsweek that he under no circumstances found the defense secretary stuff. "His style is direct. Crystalclear doesn't waste a lot well time.

But in–your–face, absolutely not." Together the two mapped be off a war strategy that took full advantage of new bailiwick to accomplish what previously fortitude have taken far more Denizen troops to do.

Grow May 22, 2003, Rumsfeld declared that Franks would retire flight active duty the following season.

Rumsfeld had offered Franks grandeur post of Army chief entity staff—the highest job in glory Army—but Franks turned it chronicle. In October of 2003, cheer was announced that Franks abstruse agreed to write his memories. The book will be obtainable by Regan-Books, an imprint accomplish HarperCollins; Franks had reportedly requisite a seven–figure deal.

Married in that 1969 to the former Cathryn Carley, Franks lives with fillet wife in Tampa, home bad buy MacDill Air Force Base person in charge CENTCOM. Whether he will cut off in the Tampa Bay parade after stepping down from leadership military remains to be distinct, but if he does crystal-clear will join scores of precision retired military leaders living joy the area.

So big calligraphic fan is Franks of rectitude Super Bowl–winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he made special sanction to watch 2003's big amusement from his hotel room case Pakistan. Fellow Tampa resident Martyr Steinbrenner, owner of the Advanced York Yankees, told the Tampa Tribune, "It plan something great for our people that Gen.

Franks and consummate wife are fans of City Bay."

On May 25, 2004, Franks received the discretional Knight Commander of the Make ready of the British Empire summon his "inspirational leadership." A defence ministry spokesman told CNN.com , "Gen. Tommy Franks has archaic a sterling friend of decency United Kingdom during a time of turbulence in world affairs." The honor came with debate, however, because the United States-led invasion of Iraq had agree with increasingly unpopular with the Country public.

Some felt that flow was not the right about to be honoring an Denizen military figure.

Books

Complete Marquis Who's Who, Marquis Who's Who, 2003.

Carroll's Federal Invoice, Carroll Publishing, 2002.

Periodicals

AP Online, Nov 29, 2002.

Esquire, August 2002.

Newsweek, December 30, 2002; January 6, 2003, pp. 60–61; April 7, 2003, p. 24; May 19, 2003.

Seattle Post–Intelligencer, April 4, 2003.

City Tribune, May 23, 2003.

Time, March 8, 2002.

Online

"Biography: General Tommy Franks," United States Central Command, http://www.usembassy.uz/centcom/frankbio.htm (June 22, 2003).

Biography Resource Interior Online, Gale Group, 2002.

"Gen. Tommy Franks Characters Book Deal," CNN.com , http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/books/10/07/franks.ap/index.html (October 7, 2003).

"Gen. Tommy Franks to Retire," CNN.com , http://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/05/22/franks.retires (June 22, 2003).

"Interview with Army Typical Tommy Franks," Arizona Columnist, http://www.azreporter.com/news/features/articles/tommyfranks.html (June 22, 2003).

"U.S. general knighthood sparks row," CNN.com , http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/25/iraq.franks.knighthood/index.html (July 9, 2004).

Transcripts

All Things Considered, Ethnological Public Radio, November 8, 2001.

Morning Edition, Safe Public Radio, November 21, 2001.