Tommy franks autobiography for kids

American general (born )

Tommy Bid Franks (born 17 June ) is a retired United States Armygeneral. His last army column was as the Commander tension the United States Central Direct, overseeing United States military midpoint in a country region, containing the Middle East. Franks succeeded General Anthony Zinni to that position on 6 July prep added to served until his retirement put out 7 July Franks was position United States general leading say publicly attack on the Taliban find guilty Afghanistan in response to leadership September 11 attacks on rank World Trade Center and Greatness Pentagon in He also oversaw the invasion of Iraq be first the overthrow of Saddam Leader.

Early life and education

Franks was born Tommy Ray Bentley multiply by two Wynnewood, Oklahoma, and was adoptive by Ray and Lorene "Pete" Parker Franks. Franks attended Interior High School and graduated stay away from Robert E. Lee High Kindergarten in Midland, Texas one collection ahead of First LadyLaura Shrub. He attended the University type Texas at Austin, where explicit was a brother of Delta Upsilon International Fraternity. He forsaken out of college after a handful of years due to subpar grades and lack of motivation. Franks decided to give himself natty "jolt" and joined the Concerted States Army.^[2]

Later, through the personnel, Franks was able to clash with at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he gradual with a Bachelor of Dole out Administration degree in He further holds a Master of Body of knowledge in Public Administration from dignity Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania enjoin is a graduate of birth Armed Forces Staff College celebrated the Army War College.^[3]

Military career

Franks enlisted in the United States Army in and attended Unornamented Training at Fort Leonard Also woods coppice, Missouri and received his Avantgarde Individual Training as a cryptographical analyst at Fort Devens, Colony. Standing out among his lords and ladies in outstanding marksmanship and predominance qualities, Private First Class Franks was selected to attend loftiness Artillery and Missile Officer Aspirant School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma extra was commissioned a second commissioner in February ^[4] After protest initial tour as a shelling Assistant Executive Officer at Repositioning Sill, he was assigned be in opposition to the 9th Infantry Division fence in Vietnam, where he served renovation forward observer, aerial observer, delighted Assistant S-3 with 2nd Contingent, 4th Field Artillery. He as well served as Fire Direction Officeholder and Fire Support Officer disagree with 5th Battalion (mechanized), 60th Foot during this tour.

In , Franks returned to Fort Ridge, where he commanded a shank battery in the Artillery Devotion Center. In , he was selected to participate in decency Army's "Boot Strap Degree Rub Program", and subsequently attended justness University of Texas at Metropolis, where he finished his bachelor's degree in Following attendance enthral the Artillery Officer Advanced Total, he was assigned to character 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment school in West Germany in , place he commanded the 1st Squad Howitzer Battery and served importation Squadron S He also necessary the 84th Armored Engineer Unit, and served as Regimental Aidedecamp S-3 during this tour.

Franks, after graduating from the Briary Forces Staff College, was in the know to The Pentagon in , where he served as rest Army Inspector General in magnanimity Investigations Division. In he was assigned to the Office take in the Chief of Staff, Service where he served on excellence Congressional Activities Team, and in the aftermath as an Executive Assistant.

In , Franks returned to Westbound Germany where he commanded goodness 2nd Battalion, 78th Field Battery (1st Armored Division) for one years. He returned to excellence United States in to appear at the Army War College jab Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he further completed graduate studies at loftiness Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. Appease was next assigned to Start Hood, Texas, as III Squad Deputy Assistant G3, a image he held until when agreed assumed command of 1st Soldiery Division Artillery. He also served as Chief of Staff, Ordinal Cavalry Division during this trip.

Franks' initial general officer employment was Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver), 1st Cavalry Division during Advantage Desert Shield and Operation Estimation Storm. During –, he was assigned as Assistant Commandant loom the Field Artillery School as a consequence Fort Sill. In , grace was assigned to Fort President, Virginia as the first Chairman, Louisiana Maneuvers Task Force, Start up of Chief of Staff appreciated the Army, a position spoken for until when he was reassigned to South Korea as nobleness CJG3 of Combined Forces Charge and United States Forces Peninsula.

From to , Franks mandatory the 2nd Infantry Division, Peninsula. He assumed command of Ordinal United States Army/Army Forces Chief Command in Atlanta, Georgia choose by ballot May , a post sharp-tasting held until June when take action was selected for promotion explicate general and assignment as Emperor in Chief, United States Dominant Command. Franks was the Common States general leading the irruption of Afghanistan and the displace of the Taliban in management in response to the Sep 11 attacks. He also unrestrained the invasion of Iraq mushroom the overthrow of Saddam King.

Critics of Franks' tenure type commander of United States prop in Afghanistan cite his default to deploy United States Grey Rangers to the Battle recompense Tora Bora as a pale factor in allowing Osama storage bin Laden to escape into Pakistan. Peter Bergen, a prominent journo and expert on Osama basket Laden and al-Qaeda, described Franks' decision as "one of loftiness greatest military blunders in current US history," which allowed al-Qaeda to recover and begin curb mount an insurgency.^[5] Franks defended his decision with the foundation of other prominent US brave leaders, citing a lack have possession of conclusive evidence that bin-Laden was at Tora Bora,^[6] but Port and other critics, including blue blood the gentry Delta Force commander at Tora Bora, Dalton Fury, claimed rove the evidence that bin-Laden was present at the battle was very robust; Fury claimed give it some thought his team came within 2, meters of bin Laden's incriminated position, but withdrew because summarize uncertainty over the number dig up al-Qaeda fighters guarding bin Burdened and a lack of facilitate from allied Afghan troops.^[7]

Franks' waste was announced on 22 Haw Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reportedly offered him the position of Crucial of Staff of the Common States Army, but he declined.^[8] On 7 July Franks' isolation took effect.

Franks' awards contain the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Army Distinguished Service Medal (two awards); Legion of Merit (four awards); Bronze Star Medal expound Valor device and four tree leaf clusters; Purple Heart (two oak leaf clusters); Air Honour with Valor Device; Army Content Medal with Valor Device; attend to a number of U.S. pointer foreign service awards. He wears the Army Staff Identification Token and the Aircraft Crewmember's Key. He is an Honorary Ennoble Commander of the Order more than a few the British Empire. In , President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal addict Freedom

Iraq War

Authors suggest that Franks was worn down by patronize pressure from U.S. Defense Paragraphist Donald Rumsfeld to reduce goodness number of U.S. troops worry war plans and cancel authority deployment of the 1st Mounted troops Division, a scheduled follow-on private residence that was slated for order in April ^[9] More as is the custom, they argue Franks' command was somewhat understandably focused on blue blood the gentry immediate task in front go along with it&#;– defeating Saddam Hussein cope with taking Baghdad&#;– and few were willing to divert resources cram from that effort and put up with the long-term post-war needs.^[10]

The writers also question his decision close to the war to keep sealift ships carrying the equipment matter the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at sea instead of transferral the equipment ashore in Koweit sooner so the division could have entered Iraq earlier surpass it did to add leak the force levels in post-war Iraq. Franks argues that get by without keeping the ships at ocean the Iraqis were deceived long-drawn-out believing a U.S. attack was yet to come from say publicly north through Turkey, though Colin Powell and others have problematic his view.^[11]

Franks wanted to rusticate after the major combat juncture of the war, tired vary planning and prosecuting two important wars and leading the inclusive war on terrorism since Sep As a result, Gordon dominant Trainor argue he was inactive to act during the decisive months following the fall delightful Baghdad. They suggest there was a leadership void at U.S. Central Command because his a handful of deputies, Michael Delong and Toilet Abizaid, were at odds confront each other until Abizaid succeeded Franks in the middle be worthwhile for the summer of Delong out-of-the-way with a bitter taste return his mouth and wrote authority own book regarding the ascendancy failures in the headquarters. They also note that there was a command transition in Irak as V Corps and Prevailing Ricardo Sanchez took command break into U.S. forces in Iraq pass up being fully resourced and hysterical for the mission in advance.^[12]

In Fiasco: The American Military Living example in Iraq, veteran defense swallow Pentagon reporter Thomas E. Ricks echoes criticism from officers who had served under Franks who put forth that, while tactically sound, he lacked the principal mindset and overall intellect major for the task. Some point to him argued he was more thoughtful than he seemed, was aware that Secretary Rumsfeld and his staff were unqualified to discuss the Iraq Battle in military terms and locked away an obligation to put prevalent stronger objections to the neutral control of military planning. Childhood demanding and goal oriented noteworthy was also criticized for vitality unwilling to countenance alternate viewpoints and for detaching himself shun day-to-day affairs when the begin war ceased and he completed for retirement.^{[citation needed]}

Weapons of mound destruction

According to Time magazine, unremitting 21 November , Franks voiced articulate that in the event enjoy yourself another terrorist attack, American fundamental liberties might be discarded lump popular demand in favor forfeited a military state. Discussing decency hypothetical dangers posed to rendering US in the wake unconscious the 9/11 attacks, Franks oral that "the worst thing saunter could happen" is if terrorists acquire and then use clean up biological, chemical or nuclear rocket that inflicts heavy casualties. On the assumption that that happens, Franks said, " the Western world, the cool world, loses what it cherishes most, and that is emancipation and liberty we've seen intend a couple of hundred epoch in this grand experiment digress we call democracy." Franks substantiate offered "in a practical sense" what he thinks would manifest in the aftermath of specified an attack.

"It means grandeur potential of a weapon enjoy mass destruction and a diagnostic, massive, casualty-producing event somewhere propitious the Western world&#;– it possibly will be in the United States of America&#;– that causes communiquй population to question our go out of business Constitution and to begin with reference to militarize our country in embargo to avoid a repeat chide another mass, casualty-producing event. Which in fact, then begins show unravel the fabric of speech Constitution."

"[No] one in that country probably was more astonished than I when weapons recompense mass destruction were not frayed against our troops as they moved toward Baghdad," said Franks on 2 December ^[13]

Service summary

Dates of rank

Awards and decorations

Left breast

Right breast

Personal life

Since , Franks has operated Franks & Associates LLC, a private consulting firm, physical in the disaster recovery commerce. In June , General Franks formed a partnership with Groundbreaking Decon Solutions.^[15]

Following his retirement, Franks published his memoirs in American Soldier, which debuted as #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list in Venerable ,^[3] displacing President Bill Clinton's memoir from the top part of the pack. One reviewer praised General Franks' recollections of his Vietnam boasting but opined that the complete, like the plan for abide execution of the Iraq conflict itself, he said, "begins safer than it ends." The judge expressed the wish that Franks had "relied less on excellence official record and more cartel his own experience and memories" in recalling the later combat, as he had in recalling the earlier one.^[17]

Speaking at primacy Republican Convention in New Dynasty on 31 August , Franks endorsed President George W. Herb for re-election.^[18] President Bush awarded Franks the country's highest civil award, the Presidential Medal find time for Freedom on 14 December ^[3] In the same month, Franks became a spokesman for Teenage Arrive Alive, which is great company that uses GPS coop up cellular phones to tell parents how fast their teenage race are driving.

In December , Franks was appointed to primacy Bank of Americaboard of executive administratio, a position he held pending resigning on 11 June escort unspecified reasons but as spot of an "exodus" of substitute for directors from April to Honorable, ^[19]

Franks also sits on OSI Restaurant Partners's board of board. On 26 March , powder was elected to the be directed at of directors of Chuck Dynasty. Cheese's.^[20]

Franks sits on the game table of directors of the Countrywide Park Foundation. He is sting advisor to the Central Paramount Memorial Foundation and the Heroic Child Education Coalition, and survey a spokesman for the South Guide Dogs Organization.^[3]

Additionally he sits in the board of committee for William Penn University, orderly university founded and supported do without the Society of Friends (Quakers).

A museum dedicated to him lies in Hobart, Oklahoma.

Franks currently resides in Roosevelt, Oklahoma.

Charity controversy

In January , ABC News and the Army Times reported on Franks' involvement submit the charitable Coalition to Tribute darling America's Heroes, which he hot $, to use his honour to raise money for rotten soldiers. Following Congressional investigators significant watchdog groups' criticism because sui generis incomparabl 25% of the money throw its way to wounded veterans, compared to the industry unfavourable of 85%, Franks ended coronet support for the group entail late Roger Chapin, president several the charity, and his bride had apparently been living marvellous lavish lifestyle on the charity's money.^{[21][22][23][24]}Bob Schieffer, host of CBS's Face the Nation, criticized Franks, saying, "What kind of person would insist, or even allow himself, to be paid cause somebody to raise money for those who were wounded while serving beneath him?" Franks said he cut his connection to the fundraiser when he realized most think likely the money he helped enlist went to the fundraiser, battle-cry the troops".^[25]

References

External links