On March 19, 2003, over a telecast President George W. Bush authorized General Tommy Franks to execute Operation Iraqi Freedom and bring the United States to war against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. Two years before Gen. Franks had led a successful invasion of Afghanistan that had topped the Taliban.
While these two events are what Franks will be remembered for, the first half of his autobiography covers the years before 9/11 and the lessons he learned from several men and women who shaped his life and helped him develop the character and attributes needed to serve as the Commander of U.S. Central Command during some of the most difficult years in American history.
The second half of the memoir is a detailed account of the events post 9/11 and its aftermath of war from the perspective of the highest levels of military. Overall “American Soldier” offers a deeply personal and comprehensive look into the life and career of one of America’s most prominent military leaders and heroes.
Born in 1945, Franks was raised in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, by his parents Ray and Lorene Franks. However, before he started the fifth grade his family made the move to Midland, Texas, the place he would call home. His father, a mechanic by trade but held many different jobs in Texas. His most successful job was as a father, and he taught Franks many life lessons from hunting and fishing to how to fix a car. More importantly Ray taught his son to “Make ‘em a hand.” Franks’ comment, that to an old roughneck like his father, “a good hand was a man who earned his pay, who hauled his share, who did his duty.”
When Franks graduated from high school, he tried his hand at college attending the University of Texas. Franks, more interested in girls and cars, did poorly in school, and made a decision that would change his life.
It was 1965 and the war in Vietnam was beginning to rage. Knowing he was not cut out for student life, Franks decided to volunteer for the Army. Having some college, he was assigned to Officer Artillery Training School on Fort Sill.
In 1968 Franks was sent to Vietnam where he had examples of leadership in Vietnam—examples he would follow throughout the rest of his career. He excelled as a forward observer calling in artillery strikes. In Vietnam, Franks earned six Awards for Valor and three Purple Hearts.
Along the way Franks met the love of his life, Cathy Carley. The two were married and she was by his side in spirit if not in person. She traveled the world with him helping him with important diplomatic duties and was his partner in every way.
After Vietnam, Franks returned to Fort Sill where he commanded a cannon battery in the Artillery Training Center. Franks’ military career continued as promotions and new assignments came from West Germany to the Pentagon to Fort Hood, Texas, and as a colonel, Franks was Division Commander for Operations and Maneuvers in Desert Storm.
He used his own initiative to look at different ways the Army could function. He believed there needed to be more coordination between the forces. Even since Desert Storm, technology had grown. Franks envisioned new ways to conduct war other than “shock and awe” en masse. Franks was promoted to Commander in Chief, United States Central Command just prior to 9/11. When writing about the night before Operation Iraqi Freedom, Franks wrote, “Iraqi Freedom represented my fourth journey into war. I carried with me the memory of every movement that had gone before: Stepping off that bus on a hot August afternoon at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Easing my feet into those boots after Staff Sergeant Kittle had shown me the old soldier’s trick of stretching the leather. Corporal Sam Long teaching me to field strip and reassemble weapons in that overheated barracks at Fort Devens. I hoped the troopers saddling up for war tonight had their own Staff Sergeant Kittles and Corporal Sam Longs. I hoped they had commanders like Lt. Colonel Eric Antila.”
After 9/11 Franks’ memoirs became a less personal autobiography and more a history of the War on Terror focused on planning for the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
There is a difference between strategy and tactics. This is a book is about strategy. Strategy is the action plan that takes you where you want to go, while tactics are the individual steps and actions that will get you there. Franks’ job was to make the plans, he had learned that once the plan is made its the subordinate officers that make the tactical decisions. The reason for this explanation is this is not a book about the battles of the war. There is very little written about the boots on the ground. What it does offer is an exceptional look into the decision process and planning of war.
There is way too much detail to give an account of the plans for Afghanistan and Iraq here. During Frank’s retirement ceremony Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld summed Franks’ Command: “After the attacks on September 11, General Franks and his team responded. They quickly developed a plan for a new set of challenges, and then skillfully led coalition forces in overthrowing the Taliban regime in their rugged, landlocked stronghold. This year again, Tom Franks crafted an innovative war plan. And again, his team brilliantly led collation forces, fighting their way to the regime’s doorsteps in Baghdad in a matter of weeks.
“And even with the large and growing number of forces on the Iraq border, General Franks achieved something seemingly impossible: tactical surprise. That surprise, and the speed and flexibility of his plan helped to remove a brutal regime in less than a month, without massive loss of civilian life.”
Franks’ true opinions about the leaders with whom he worked. Most in the military he praised but had little patience for press or ex-military working for the press who second guessed him when they were uninformed. Franks stressed this was a new war and the old leaders did not understand it. While trying to conduct a major war, one of Franks’ biggest struggles was the media. They undercut him at every turn and were interested in a good story more than accuracy.
Frankscompletelysupported Bush, believing history will be on his side, and was critical of President Bill Clinton. While he did not blame Clinton for 9/11, he did believe that had the Clinton administration had acted differently towards terrorism before 9/11, history might have changed its course. Franks was also critical of government bureaucrats. While he praised Rumsfeld, he struggled with the Joint Chiefs who meddled and, at one point, leaked sensitive material.
Published in 2004, it is easy to criticize Franks for what he saw as a success. First, it turned out that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction. Secondly, the U.S. pulled out of Iraq in 2011 and left Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021. Today it is difficult to call either war a success. Yet in 2004 it was.
Franks had divided the conflict up into four phases. Phase Three was the end of fighting Hussein and the regular Iraqi army and Phase Four began reconstruction. Franks knew the reconstruction would be the longest and most difficult part. With the end of Phase Three, he knew allied help was crucial, especially those who agreed to join in after the major fighting and help with reconstruction. Franks suggested that Bush declare mission accomplished, something that Bush in is own autobiography said was one of his biggest regrets. Again, the press had a field day undercutting Bush after his declaration when there was clearly more fighting to be done. Unwilling to see the military success that had occurred so swiftly, the press only wanted to focus on negative aspects. Franks stressed that the initial goal had been accomplished: Hussein and the Baathists, a party who had ruled Iraq for 30 years, had been removed.
Part of Phase Four was to turn the regular Iraqi soldiers into peacekeepers once Hussein was gone. Rank-and-file soldiers were not Baathists and could keep their jobs in rebuilding Iraq. The problem was the army did not surrender but dissipated. Instead of being part of the solution they were now jobless young men. Franks also hoped to work with the different tribes, most that having been persecuted under the Hussein regime. Instead of working together for the good of Iraq, they were more interested in revenge and could not trust in anyone, including Americans.
Finally, there was the question of weapons of mass destruction. WMDs were Bush’s major justification for the war—something for which he has been criticized when none were not found. Franks continued to support Bush’s decision. First, there was plenty of evidence and still is that Iraq had WMDs, including the fact that Hussein had used them before and forbade inspectors to search for them. It should be noted that the press had not reported Iraq’s dismantled factories and equipment for making WMDs. Troops also found dozens of stashes around Iraq of protective suits and antidotes for chemical and biological weapons. Franks made a comparison to a gun that was found disassembled with bullets nearby. Sure, it could not do any harm, but had potential if it was put together. Franks concluded, “The issue is not whether the source of the intelligence information was telling the truth, but whether George Tenet, Colin Powell, and President George W. Bush believed that the information was true. I believe they did. I know I did. And I do not regret my role in disarming Iraq and removing its Baathist Regime.”
Franks knew that Phase Four would be long and difficult. He knew that his time in command would not last as long as the situation required. With that in mind he resigned his command wanting to have someone in place that could go the distance. Like what many superstar athletes its is always better to go out on top — to retire after the championship. 2004 still looked promising for Franks. He had faith in his nation’s success. Had he stayed longer this may have been a different book.
This book is far from a casual read. While the first half is a typical autobiography and any reader can enjoy learning about Franks’ life, the second half is dense. It is not a typical Hollywood war story as most of it takes place at headquarters and war rooms. The most difficult aspect is keeping up with the military jargon which is foreign to most civilians. If you want to learn more about leadership for the battlefield or corporate room this can teach valuable lessons. To know more about one of the most dedicated, important and influential military leaders of the 21st century, add this to your reading list.
Published in 2004 by Harper Collins, New York, “American Soldier: General Tommy Franks” is available on Amazon.
James Finck, a professor of history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, is also a board member of the General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum in Hobart, Oklahoma. He can be reached at Historical-lySpeaking1776@ gmail. com.
