United States Central Command Combatant Commander General Tommy Franks meets and shakes hands with Marines of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in the Iraq (news - web sites) city of Numaniya on Monday April 7, 2003. U.S. forces tightened their grip on Baghdad April 8, 2003, blitzing targets in the heart of the capital and seizing an airbase after trying to kill Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and his sons with four huge bombs. Picture taken April 7, 2003. Franks was in Iraq to meet the troops. REUTERS/U.S. Military/handout
United States Central Command Commander Tommy Franks and Lt. General David D. McKiernan sit along the runway to talk over events of operation Iraqi Freedom at a forward operating airbase in Kuwait April 7, 2003. U.S. forces tightened their grip on Baghdad April 8, 2003, blitzing targets in the heart of the capital and seizing an airbase after trying to kill Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and his sons with four huge bombs. Picture taken April 7, 2003. REUTERS/Gary P. Bonaccorso/U.S. military/Handout
U.S. war commander Gen. Tommy Franks, talks to U. S. Army troops from the 101st Airborne Division, during a visit to an Iraqi military training compound Monday, April 7, 2003. (AP Photo/Pfc. Joshua Hutcheson, U.S. Army)
Gen. Tommy Franks, left, commander of the U.S. Central Command, greets soldiers of the1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), after he was presented an arms cache discovered at an Iraqi military training compound in the city of Najaf, central Iraq (news - web sites), Monday, April 7, 2003. (AP Photo/Pfc. Joshua Hutcheson/Pool)
Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of the U.S. Central Command, addresses soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, (Air Assault) in Najaf, central Iraq (news - web sites), Monday, April 7, 2003. (AP Photo/Pfc. Joshua Hutcheson/Pool)
Gen. Tommy Franks, right, commander of the U.S. Central Command, watches weapons discovered by 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, (Air Assault) in a cache at an Iraqi military training compound in the city of Najaf, Monday, April 7, 2003. (AP Photo/Pfc. Joshua Hutcheson/Pool)
Gen. Tommy Franks, left, commander of the US central command, shakes hand with SGT Lucas Goddart of Sitka, Alaska, of the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division after having decorated him with the Bronze Star in An-Najaf, Iraq (news - web sites), Monday, April 7, 2003. Center is SGT James Ward of Wilmington, N.C., also decorated with a Bronze Star. (AP Photo/Jean-Marc Bouju)
US Gen. Tommy Franks, right, commander of the US central command, shakes hand with soldiers of the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division during a short visit in An-Najaf, Iraq (news - web sites), Monday, April 7, 2003. (AP Photo/Jean-Marc Bouju)
Commander in Chief of the coalition forces in Iraq (news - web sites) Gen. Tommy Franks addresses soldiers of the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division during a short visit in An-Najaf, Iraq, Monday, April 7, 2003. (AP Photo/Jean-Marc Bouju)
FRANKS IN IRAQ — Gen. Tommy Franks, U.S. Central Command, addresses the soldiers of 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, April 7, in An Najaf, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Joshua Hutcheson
April 8, 2003 -- WASHINGTON - War chief Gen. Tommy Franks made a dramatic first visit to Iraq yesterday.
Citizens of An Najaf lined their streets to cheer Franks' motorcade.
To hammer home the victory-is-at-hand point, Franks made a triumphant visit to four Iraqi locations that had all been scenes of fierce battles days earlier.
Packing a pistol at his side and wearing a black beret and a desert camouflage uniform - with full chemical weapons protection gear nearby - Franks visited U.S. troops near Basra, the Marine base at Numaniyah, and the Tallil air base in southern Iraq.
He greeted soldiers with slaps and hugs, posed for photos with some, pinned Bronze Star medals on two sergeants from the 101st Airborne and dined on battlefield rations.
"I think it would be almost impossible for anyone to see those kids and recognize where they came from and what they've done over the last two weeks and look at their mental state and morale and not feel pretty good about it," Franks said.
while you wait for the others to start showing up at the Canteen?
