What I've Learned: Tommy Franks

Those are men's wedding gowns from central Asia. When one visits in central Asia, the host will frequently make a gift of the local wedding attire for men. So I brought 'em back and put 'em up in my office. Why does that surprise you?

One of the things I believe fervently was said probably 175 years ago by Clausewitz: In battle, outcomes are determined by this trinity. You have to have a decision by the state. You have to have military capacity to get the work done. And you have to have the will of the people. In my lifetime, I have not seen the enduring confluence of those three things until post-9/11.

A lesson my parents taught me is, don't buy Montblanc pens and Rolexes on credit. There are certain things in life you pay cash for. If you're going to have the things that you really don't need but would like to have, get 'em when you can afford 'em.

I went for training at Fort Devins, Massachusetts. One morning I saw my lieutenant cleaning his military gear. He said, "Hey, Franks, I need some cleaning supplies from the store off post." He pitched me his car keys and said, "Would you pick them up for me?" His car had an officer's sticker on the windshield, so the military policeman at the gate saluted the car and I promptly returned his salute. And I said to myself, By God—that's for me!

I was married in 1969. Self-respect and mutual respect. Sharing and caring. That's what makes a long, happy marriage.

When you're hiring someone to do something, you ought to first have an appreciation for what the job entails. There are certain jobs that entail very large arms and a broad neck and perhaps asocial behavior.

It's helpful to understand what motivates Osama bin Laden, to understand what he treasures. Because human beings will generally respond to stimuli of things that are important to them. Knowing him as a thinker is not as important to me as knowing what's precious to him. His belief system is precious to him. His family is important to him. His ability to wield power is important to him. His ability to communicate. His ability to move money. We will work every thread of his existence until the work is done. Over time, we surely will either capture him or kill him.

My vision of God has not changed from the time I was six years old to now: omniscient and omnipotent. That's how I've always viewed God. Although when I was six years old, I didn't know those big words.

There are a great many people who hate our freedom, who hate our way of life. They don't necessarily hate your child, but they'd kill him in a minute in order to make a statement. We have to go to work and stay at work on all of them. That's why I believe the president is right when he says this will not be a short-term engagement.

It's always difficult for every leader—whether in this chair or as a platoon leader where the battle is occurring—to maintain a certain degree of emotional detachment from activities going on in a war. We're always concerned with being emotionally detached to make good judgments and decisions.

Eating is not a problem when I'm commanding a battle thousands of miles away. But sometimes sleeping is.

I did not have that sense of detachment on September 11—although I was geographically detached. We had flown out of Washington on the tenth of September, had arrived in Crete to let the crew rest on the morning of the eleventh. We had the news on when the strike occurred on the World Trade towers. I'll remember it for two reasons. Because it was 9/11 and we saw what we saw. I'll also remember it because as we were headed home, the crew was a bit concerned about whether we would be able to penetrate U. S. airspace. At one point, my wife went up and had a conversation with the communicators. Cathy asked, "How's the flight going?" The young communicator looked up and said, "There is no traffic over the Atlantic." That comment has stuck with me and probably will for the rest of my life.

Grandchildren serve to teach you a great many of the things you probably missed when their moms and dads were growing up.

I guess it sounds bold, but I really don't have a big fear. There can be an expectation of a public servant to say, "Well, my greatest fear would be failure in the mission." I don't have that. Because we won't fail in this mission.

I've been at the other end of conferences with GEN Franks, and what struck me more than anything was the profound respect his immediate subordinates (all were 3 Stars) treated him.
It was true respect, not fawning to get ahead.

This is a powerful piece. All the more so because it wanders from the very personal to the global. I, too, got chills from the simple phrase, "There is no traffic over the Atlantic." Before 9/11, it was hard to imagine anything other than an invasion from space that would shut down all traffic over the Atlantic.
My respect for General Franks, already high, has gone up. I read what he says about his grandchildren and I know that this man is well-grounded as a human being. I read what he wrote about Clausewitz and I know he is well-grounded as a thinker. In both ways he reminds me of General George Patton.

Congressman Billybob

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