Biography of general tommy franks

I want to talk to the sergeant major. I remember the days when I was taken care ofand when I was not taken care of. Franks was also famous for his lack of interest in the spotlight, and he had no patience for show—offs. Even when involved in such high profile undertakings as the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 21st century, the general rarely gave interviews.

With characteristic wry humor, he clarified these views by telling a press conference about the first book he had ever read. I remember parts of it. The book said Julius Caesar was a general. He made long speeches. They killed him. For all Franks' self—effacing mannerisms and "good old boy" affect, however, friends and colleagues cautioned against underestimating him.

Retired Rear Admiral Craig Quigley, who worked under Franks, told Nancy Benac of the Pocono Record, "Anybody who mistakes that slow, Texas drawl for anything other than the sharpest of minds is making an incredibly bad mistake. This multi—faceted intellect and talent would be indispensable in the wake of the events of September 11, Franks was already a four—star general and the commander of CentCom, responsible for military operations in 25 countries in Africa, the Middle Eastand Asia, when al—Qaeda terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, The following day, U.

Within a week, the general had a plan to attack the terrorists and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and less than a month later, the air strikes there had begun. Relying primarily on special operations forces, local militia, CIA operations, and air support, Franks' successfully routed the Taliban in fairly short order. His strategy in Afghanistan was not without critics, including Rumsfeld at times, but the defeat of the Taliban and support of the administration soon quieted those voices.

The U. First, he dismissed administration officials who supported the idea of amassing huge ground forces. Instead, he used small forces that moved quickly. This provided agility and the element of surprise.

Biography of general tommy franks: Tommy Franks was born

Another new concept, begun in Afghanistan, was integration of the four branches of the armed services. I believe that is transformational. Finally, and not incidentally, Franks had access to technological advances from precision bombs to real time computer tracking that no general before him had ever had. A combination of these factors, along with the more prosaic contributions of the soldiers' hard work and sacrifice, led to the taking of Baghdad in biography of general tommy franks three weeks.

Franks' successes in Afghanistan and Iraq led many to hail him as perhaps the greatest military leader of the 21st century. Franks, however, had not forgotten being wounded three times in Vietnam and thus was not one to glorify or romanticize the price of battle. As Vulliamy noted, one of the general's stock comments was, "No one hates war like a soldier hates war.

Franks retired from the army on August 1, Far from slowing down, however, he promptly filled his schedule with speaking engagements and began to write his memoirs. As a result, Gordon and Trainor argue he was slow to act during the crucial months following the fall of Baghdad. They suggest there was a leadership void at U. Central Command because his two deputies, Michael Delong and John Abizaidwere at odds with each other until Abizaid succeeded Franks in the middle of the summer of Delong retired with a bitter taste in his mouth and wrote his own book regarding the leadership failures in the headquarters.

Ricks echoes criticism from officers who had served under Franks who put forth that, while tactically sound, he lacked the strategic mindset and overall intellect necessary for the task. Some close to him argued he was more thoughtful than he seemed, was aware that Secretary Rumsfeld and his staff were unable to discuss the Iraq War in military terms and had an obligation to put forth stronger objections to the civilian control of military planning.

While demanding and goal oriented he was also criticized for being unwilling to countenance alternate viewpoints and for detaching himself from day-to-day affairs when the ground war ceased and he prepared for retirement. According to Time magazine, on 21 NovemberFranks said that in the event of another terrorist attack, American constitutional liberties might be discarded by popular demand in favor of a military state.

If that happens, Franks said, " Which in fact, then begins to unravel the fabric of our Constitution. Following his retirement, Franks published his memoirs in American Soldier[ 16 ] which debuted as 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list in August[ 3 ] displacing President Bill Clinton 's memoir from the top spot. One reviewer praised General Franks' recollections of his Vietnam service but opined that the book, like the plan for and execution of the Iraq war itself, he said, "begins better than it ends.

Bush for re-election. In DecemberFranks was appointed to the Bank of America board of directorsa position he held until resigning on 11 June for unspecified reasons but as part of an "exodus" of ten directors from April to August, On 26 Marchhe was elected to the board of directors of Chuck E. Franks sits on the board of directors of the National Park Foundation.

Additionally he sits in the board of trustees for William Penn University, a university founded and supported by the Society of Friends Quakers. A museum dedicated to him lies in Hobart, Oklahoma. Franks currently resides in Roosevelt, Oklahoma. Roger Chapinpresident of the charity, and his wife had apparently been living a lavish lifestyle on the charity's money.

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item. American general born Early life and education [ edit ]. Military career [ edit ].

Biography of general tommy franks: Tommy Ray Franks (born

Iraq War [ edit ]. Weapons of mass destruction [ edit ]. Service summary [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. Charity controversy [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. For instance, they make a disputed claim that Franks threatened to fire General William Wallace, commander of the Army's V Corps, for saying to the press during that war that the enemy the U.

Franks rejected the critical comments on Hardball with Chris Matthews on 17 April He replied saying, "Well, I don't know that I would hold myself to a standard to try to help the retired admiral, you know, sell his book.

Biography of general tommy franks: Tommy Ray Franks is

Joint Forces Command which, he says, showed that there was no linkage between the Fedayeen and the insurgency present in Iraq today. He agrees with their assessment, which would discredit Cobra II's notion that his failure to take the Fedayeen seriously during the invasion of Iraq contributed to the post-war insurgency. The authors also suggest that Franks was worn down by repeated pressure from U.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to reduce the number of U. More generally, they argue Franks' command was somewhat understandably focused on the immediate task in front of it - defeating Saddam Hussein and taking Baghdad - and few were willing to divert resources away from that effort and toward the long-term post-war needs. The writers also question his decision during the war to keep sealift ships carrying the equipment for the 4th Infantry Division Mechanized at sea instead of bringing the equipment ashore in Kuwait sooner so the division could have entered Iraq earlier than it did to add to the force levels in post-war Iraq.

Franks argues that by keeping the ships at sea the Iraqis were deceived into believing a U. Franks wanted to retire after the major combat phase of the war, tired from having planned for and prosecuted two major wars and led a war on terrorism since September As a result, Gordon and Trainor argue he was slow to act during the crucial months following the fall of Baghdad.

They suggest there was a leadership void at U. Central Command because his two deputies, Michael Delong and John Abizaid, were at odds with each other until Abizaid succeeded Franks in the middle of the summer of He continues to be recognized as a prominent figure in American military history, known for his leadership during the Iraq War and his contributions to national security.

Tommy Frenks American general, commander-in-chief of coalition forces during the Iraq War. Date of Birth: Contact About Privacy. Vasiliy Vasilyev. Pierre Billotte. Walter Kruger.