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USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ General Tommy Franks ~ April 10 2003
various news photos | CENTCOM

Posted on 04/10/2003 3:42:36 AM PDT by snippy_about_it


General Tommy Franks

Commander United States Central Command


August 25, 2002, U.S. General Tommy Franks Speaks to U.S. Soldiers at a Base Near Kabul, Afghanistan


President George W. Bush and Army General Tommy Franks talk with the press in Crawford, Texas, December 28. White House photo by Susan Sterner.


"I decided a long time ago that I would always take my job very seriously but myself not so seriously." —Gen. Tommy Franks



Tommy Franks Biography


General Franks was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1967 as a distinguished graduate of the Artillery Officer Candidate School, Fort Sill, Okla. After an initial tour as a battery Assistant Executive Officer at Fort Sill, he was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division, Republic of Vietnam, where he served as Forward Observer, Aerial Observer, and Assistant S-3 with 2nd Battalion, 4th Field Artillery. He also served as Fire Support Officer with 5th Battalion (mechanized), 60th Infantry during this tour.

In 1968, General Franks returned to Fort Sill, where he commanded a cannon battery in the Artillery Training Center. In 1969, he was selected to participate in the Army's "Boot Strap Degree Completion Program," and subsequently attended the University of Texas, Arlington, where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1971.

Following attendance at the Artillery Advance Course, he was assigned to the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment in West Germany in 1973 where he commanded 1st Squadron Howitzer Battery, and served as Squadron S-3. He also commanded the 84th Armored Engineer Company, and served as Regimental Assistant S-3 during this tour.

General Franks, after graduation from Armed Forces Staff College, was posted to the Pentagon in 1976 where he served as an Army Inspector General in the Investigations Division. In 1977 he was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff, Army where he served on the Congressional Activities Team, and subsequently as an Executive Assistant.

In 1981, General Franks returned to West Germany where he commanded 2nd Battalion, 78th Field Artillery for three years. He returned to the United States in 1984 to attend the Army War College at Carlisle, Penn., where he also completed graduate studies and received a Master of Science Degree in Public Administration at Shippensburg University.

He was next assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, as III Corps Deputy Assistant G3, a position he held until 1987 when he assumed command of Division Artillery, First Cavalry Division. He also served as Chief of Staff, First Cavalry Division during this tour.

His initial general officer assignment was Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver), First Cavalry Division during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. During 1991-92, he was assigned as Assistant Commandant of the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill.

In 1992, he was assigned to Fort Monroe, Va. as the first Director, Louisiana Maneuvers Task Force, Office of Chief of Staff of the Army, a position held until 1994 when he was reassigned to Korea as the CJG3 of Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea.

From 1995-97, General Franks commanded the Second Infantry (Warrior) Division, Korea. He assumed command of Third (U.S.) Army/Army Forces Central Command in Atlanta, Ga. in May 1997, a post he held until June 2000 when he was selected for promotion to general and assignment as Commander in Chief, United States Central Command.

General Franks' awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Distinguished Service Medal (two awards); Legion of Merit (four awards); Bronze Star Medal with "V" (three awards); Purple Heart (three awards); Air Medal with "V"; Army Commendation Medal with "V"; and a number of U.S. and foreign service awards. He wears the Army General Staff Identification Badge and the Aircraft Crewmember's Badge.

General Franks Visits Wounded


General Tommy Franks, unified combatant commander of the U.S. Central Command, visits U.S. Marine Pfc. Philip Fakes (L), a combat engineer with the 2nd Combat Engineer Brigade of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, March 31, 2003 at the 47th Combat Support Hospital in the Kuwait desert. Fake is recovering from wounds received during the war in Iraq (news - web sites). REUTERS/HO- Navy Photographer Gary P. Bonaccorso-Apr 01 11:24 AM ET


General Tommy Franks, unified combatant commander, U.S. Central Command, visits U.S. Marine Pfc. Philip Fakes, a combat engineer with the 2nd Combat Engineer Brigade of Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 31, 2003 at the 47th Combat Support Hospital in the Kuwait desert. Fake, recovering from shrapnel wounds in a mission for Operation Iraqi Freedom, said it was overwhelming to meet the general. Picture taken March 31. REUTERS/Erika Gladhill/Cntral Command/Handout


Taking time to say thanks in person, United States Central Command Commander General Tommy R. Franks shakes the hand of Private First Class Patrick McDermott, a soldier with the 197th Aviation Battalion who was recovering from wounds received in Operation Iraqi Freedom, at the 47th Combat Support Hospital in the Kuwait desert. Franks visited the field hospital at Camp Wolf in Kuwait March, 31 2003. REUTERS.Gary P. Bonaccorso/U.S. Nvy/handout NO


General Tommy Franks, Commander of U.S. Central Command, left, visits U.S. Army Sgt. Colby Piere, right, a forward observer for Company 327, at the 47th Combat Support Hospital, in the Kuwait desert, in this Monday, March 31, 2003, U.S. Central Command handout photo. Piere is recovering from wounds received during operations against Iraq (news - web sites). (AP Photo/Sgt. Erika Gladhill, U.S. Central Command, HO)


Commander of the Coalition Forces U.S. Gen. Tommy Franks, left, walks besides Kuwait's Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Fahed Al Amir before leaving Kuwait International Airport, on Monday, March 31, 2003 after a short visit to the emirate. Franks held talks with Al Amir and visited the U.S. base at Camp Doha, north of Kuwait City, and a hospital where some of the wounded troops in the U.S.-led war on Iraq (news - web sites) are treated. (AP Photo/Kuwait Ministry of Defense, HO)


Commander of the Coalition Forces U.S. Gen. Tommy Franks, left, talks with Kuwait's Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Fahed Al Amir upon his arrival to Kuwait International Airport, on Monday, March 31, 2003. Franks held talks with Al Amir and visited the U.S. base of Camp Doha, north of Kuwait city and a hospital where some of the wounded troops in the U.S.-led war on Iraq (news - web sites) are treated. (AP Photo/Kuwait Ministry of Defense. HO)



United States Gen. Tommy Franks, gestures towards a journalist, during a news conference at the Camp As Sayliyah, Central Command Center, Doha, Qatar, Sunday, March 30, 2003. Franks updated the gathered world's media on the progress made during the war in Iraq (news - web sites). (AP Photo/Richard Lewis)


Head of US Central Command, US General Tommy Franks, points to areas on a map of Iraq (news - web sites) as he briefs the media(AFP/EPA/Paul J.Richards)


He grew up in Midland, Texas, George W. Bush's boyhood town. When Bush calls Franks he starts off the conversation with, "How're ya doing, Tommy?"


Gen. Tommy Franks, commander-in-chief of U.S. Central Command, speaks to sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Christmas day 2001. Franks directs all U.S. forces participating in Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP/Wide World Photos)

UP CLOSE
with Tommy Franks

Date and place of birth: June 17, 1945, in Wynnewood, Okla. (population 2,367)

Family: Wife, Cathy; daughter, Jacqy Matlock; son-in-law, Patrick Matlock; one granddaughter and one grandson.

Height: 6-foot-3

Occupation: Commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command, one of nine U.S. combatant commands that respond directly to the defense secretary and the president.

Nicknames: Pooh to his grandchildren; CINC (pronounced sink), short for commander-in-chief, to those under his command.

Hobbies: Shopping for and refinishing antiques.

On President Bush: I just very simply like him. He's the most self-effacing human being that I've been around in a long time.

On Defense Secretary Rumsfeld: The guy is absolutely fearless.

My advice for a 20-year-old is: First, don't be in a hurry to grow up. Second, there will be a tomorrow.

If I weren't in the military, I'd be: A lawyer.

My heroes are: My wife, my daughter and George Washington. My wife is actually the perfect wife, for 33 years now. My daughter is actually a perfect mother to our grandchildren.

My success is a result of: Fate, family, focus and luck.

My greatest day was: The day my daughter and my grandchildren were born. I know that sounds really corny, but it's absolutely true.

After graduating from Midland's Robert E. Lee High School in 1963, Franks headed to U.T. Austin, where he admits he had not yet developed his attention to detail.

"I had absolutely no sense of any responsibility to study anything," he said. "My grades were so abysmal for the two years I was there that I simply left and joined the Army."

He planned to leave the Army after returning from Vietnam and getting married in 1969. Then one of his bosses asked if he'd like to go back to college as part of the Army's Boot Strap Degree Completion Program.

"I said, 'That'd be great, I'd like to do that,' " Franks recalls. "The question was where to go. I had friends who had graduated from Arlington, so I said, 'Hey, I'd like to go to UTA.' "

By the time he arrived in 1970, his study habits had improved. "I was actually a heckuva student because I was tuned in to what I was trying to do." He remembers going to a few ballgames and social activities, but he primarily concentrated on making good grades. He earned a 3.83 grade-point average in 90 hours at UTA.

Three of those hours came in a literature class of Professor George Fortenberry, a member of the English faculty from 1955 to 1982. "I enjoyed him immensely," Franks said. "He's a guy who stands out in my memory."

Franks also stands out in Dr. Fortenberry's memory, though not quite as vividly.

"I can remember Tommy being very good at discussion, but otherwise I can't remember a lot about him. I can't remember if I gave him an A or an F," the 82-year-old Dr. Fortenberry said with a laugh. "It makes you feel great to be remembered by someone who has reached such a high position." For the record, Franks earned an A in the Representative American Writings class.

He graduated in 1971 with a bachelor of business administration degree and considered going to law school. "I like to argue," he says. But he opted to remain in the military. It was unarguably the right decision.


Franks enjoys a visit to CENTCOM by the Charlie Daniels band

Neal McCoy Visits CENTCOM

Neal McCoy performs a small concert for members of Central Command Headquarters in Tampa, FL. McCoy and band members also signed autographs and visited with Gen. and Mrs. Franks during their visit. (Photos by PH2 Anthony Dallas, CENTCOM Public Affairs Office)



TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Free Republic; Political Humor/Cartoons; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: centcom; iraq; liberation; michaeldobbs; tommyfranks
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To: snippy_about_it; All
Good morning everyone
21 posted on 04/10/2003 4:35:30 AM PDT by firewalk
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To: snippy_about_it; LindaSOG; radu; Radix; bentfeather; LaDivaLoca; Severa; Bethbg79; southerngrit; ...


22 posted on 04/10/2003 4:36:23 AM PDT by tomkow6 (.................nostalgia t.v. programs?.............what's a t.v. anyway?....i have "voices"..)
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To: snippy_about_it; LindaSOG; radu; Radix; bentfeather; LaDivaLoca; Severa; Bethbg79; southerngrit; ...
Today's FEEBLE attempt at humor:

A Jewish man moves into a strict Catholic neighbourhood. Every
Friday, the Catholics practically go crazy -- because while they're
morosely eating only fish, the Jew is in his backyard barbecuing
steaks. So, the Catholics work on the Jew to convert him.

Finally, by long endurance, the Catholics succeed. They take the
Jew to a priest who sprinkles holy water on the Jew and intones,
"Born a Jew ......Raised a Jew ......Now a Catholic."

The Catholics are ecstatic; No more delicious, but maddening
smells every Friday evening! But come the following Friday, the
scent of barbecue wafts through the neighbourhood. The Catholics all
rush to the Jew's house to *remind* him of his new diet. They find
him standing over the sizzling steak, knife in one hand, his other
hand dipping in water. He sprinkles water over the meat, saying,
"Born a cow ......Raised a cow ......Now a fish!"

23 posted on 04/10/2003 4:38:03 AM PDT by tomkow6 (.................nostalgia t.v. programs?.............what's a t.v. anyway?....i have "voices"..)
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To: snippy_about_it; All
Little known fact about Gen Franks. He's from the same hometown that Pres. Bush is (Midland, Texas). And I share that same hometown with them. One of these days the rest of the world and the RATS here at home are gonna understand what they mean when they say "Don't Mess With Texas!"
24 posted on 04/10/2003 4:51:17 AM PDT by txradioguy (HOOAH! Not just a word, A way of life!)
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To: snippy_about_it; Kathy in Alaska; radu; MoJo2001; Ragtime Cowgirl; SK1 Thurman; SevenofNine; zip; ..
Click on the pic and I'll guide you
to the start of today's thread by
snippy_about_it




USO CANTEEN FREEPER STYLE MISSION STATEMENT
Showing support and boosting the morale of
our military and our allies military
and the family members of the above.
Honoring those who have served before.


Please Thank someone in the military for ensuring our Freedom.
Take a moment and Thank a Service Man or Woman.
Just Click on the graphics to SEND a message to someone in the military.




25 posted on 04/10/2003 5:06:35 AM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (God Bless and Protect our military and our allies military.)
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To: snippy_about_it; LindaSOG; radu; Radix; bentfeather; LaDivaLoca; Severa; Bethbg79; southerngrit; ...
Do ya think Gen. Tommy Franks would be interested in buying a burka from me?

26 posted on 04/10/2003 5:13:13 AM PDT by tomkow6 (.................nostalgia t.v. programs?.............what's a t.v. anyway?....i have "voices"..)
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To: snippy_about_it
".......He was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division, Republic of Vietnam, where he served as Forward Observer,
Aerial Observer, and Assistant S-3 with 2nd Battalion, 4th Field Artillery.
He also served as Fire Support Officer with 5th Battalion (mechanized), 60th Infantry during this tour.
......... General Franks' awards include.......Purple Heart (three awards........"


Salute

Welcome Home Brother
27 posted on 04/10/2003 5:16:00 AM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (God Bless and Protect our military and our allies military.)
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To: txradioguy
Thanks for dropping in. Hopefully that Maines girl will learn what that saying means! BTW did you get to see our tribute to the cowboys (& girls) a couple of days ago?
28 posted on 04/10/2003 5:16:24 AM PDT by beachn4fun (Thank you Troops.... Thank you Allies......God Bless all those who stood in support of the USA...)
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To: Jim Robinson
jimrob, if you ever get a notion, could you possibly set up software to allow the originator of a thread (like this one) to set an attribute on the thread that would cause the targets of all graphic links that don't specify a size to get checked for size, and the determined size included in the html that appears in the posting. that way when someone gets flagged to a particular post in a graphics heavy thread, or just wants to look at something in the middle of the thread when flagged there, the thread doesn't jerk up and down in the browser while the unsized graphics load.
29 posted on 04/10/2003 5:19:39 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (A High Tech Redneck and a Software (ahem) Engineer.)
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To: snippy_about_it
Thank You for today's thread!
It gives me a chance to learn about one of today's top military leaders.
30 posted on 04/10/2003 5:19:58 AM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (God Bless and Protect our military and our allies military.)
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To: tomkow6

31 posted on 04/10/2003 5:33:38 AM PDT by Radix (Good morning, do you mind if I drop in?)
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To: BellStar
Thank you BellStar for commenting on today's General Franks thread at the Canteen. Visit us often. :)
32 posted on 04/10/2003 5:37:51 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our Troops)
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To: Pippin
Good Morning to you Pippin.
33 posted on 04/10/2003 5:38:56 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our Troops)
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To: EternalVigilance
I'll expect a poem about him from you perhaps? :)

I enjoy reading your posts, such an inspiration. Thank you.
34 posted on 04/10/2003 5:40:20 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our Troops)
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To: beachn4fun
Yes. He seems like someone you like to chat with around the camp fire. Wouldn't that be fun?
35 posted on 04/10/2003 5:41:41 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our Troops)
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To: snippy_about_it
Thank You for the great information on our great leader in the Iraq theater. GO TROOPS and GOD BLESS.
36 posted on 04/10/2003 5:41:56 AM PDT by weldgophardline (Pacifism Creates Terrorism)
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To: Freedom'sWorthIt
Woo-hoo back atcha!
37 posted on 04/10/2003 5:42:30 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our Troops)
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To: snippy_about_it
LOL...I'll see what I can do, but I won't make any promises.:-)

Thanks for the encouraging words!
38 posted on 04/10/2003 5:42:32 AM PDT by EternalVigilance
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To: Aeronaut
Whoa, now your talking. Thank you for the flyover protection. :)
39 posted on 04/10/2003 5:43:40 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our Troops)
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To: tomkow6
Good morning you little devil. :)
40 posted on 04/10/2003 5:44:27 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our Troops)
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