American Soldier (Hardcover)

by General Tommy Franks (Author), Malcolm McConnell (Author) "My understanding of the world and its consequences-of right and wrong, good and evil-began when I was five in central Oklahoma..." (more)
Key Phrases: border berm, combat air controllers, component commanders, Saddam Hussein, Republican Guard, Gene Renuart (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
As Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command from July 2000 through July 2003, Tommy Franks led the American and Coalition forces to victory in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Unsurprisingly, the portions of American Soldier covering these wars are the most interesting because they combine military maneuvers, political wrangling, and lots of action and commentary. This does not mean, however, that the rest of his autobiography is dull. General Franks's writing is clear and engaging and his insider's perspective is informative and interesting, particularly when he explains how the military moved into the 21st century by emphasizing speed, agility, and better cooperation among the various branches--a significant shift from the first Persian Gulf war just a decade earlier.

In addition to his years as a war general, his memoir also covers his childhood, his early years in the Army, his tours of Vietnam, and how he contemplated retirement before being called up as commander of Central Command, "the most diverse, strategically vital—and unstable—region of the planet." Ever the diplomat, General Franks offers insights, but little criticism of individuals. Other than expressing admiration for his own staff and for President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in particular, he is tight-lipped about any conflict within the administration that may have occurred regarding policy issues. (The one exception is counterterrorism specialist Richard Clarke. "I never received a single operational recommendation, or a single page of actionable intelligence, from Richard Clarke," he writes). He also writes that he was surprised by the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that no WMDs were used against American troops. Still, the invasion of Iraq was justified in his eyes: "While we may not have found actual WMD stockpiles, what the Coalition discovered was the equivalent of a disassembled pistol, lying on a table beside neatly arranged trays of bullets." American Soldier is a compelling look at the war on terrorism from one who served on the frontlines as both a warrior and a diplomat. --Shawn Carkonen

From The Washington Post
The Romans let victorious generals keep slaves and other spoils of war. The British showered them with noble titles and country estates. In free-market America, we've outsourced the job of rewarding our war heroes to the private sector, where they get cushy corporate board seats, lucrative speaking engagements and fat contracts for their memoirs.

Gen. Tommy Franks, who as head of U.S. Central Command presided over the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has duly produced the expected autobiography. It is a good read, thanks to the work of veteran ghostwriter Malcolm McConnell; the early sections on Franks's blue-collar upbringing and Vietnam service are particularly affecting. But it has not made as much of a media splash as some other accounts of the administration, because it is not hostile to George W. Bush.

To the contrary, American Soldier rebuts some criticisms directed against the president. Bush has been accused, for instance, of taking his eye off Afghanistan by ordering the plan for a possible war with Iraq in the fall of 2001. Franks writes that, given the threat posed by Saddam Hussein, this was a sensible request, and that "our mission in Afghanistan never suffered" as a result.

Scores of pundits have accused the administration of lying, or at least distorting the evidence, about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. But Franks reveals that the leaders of Egypt and Jordan told him that Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons. Though no weapon of mass destruction was ever found, he writes, "I do not regret my role in disarming Iraq and removing its Baathist regime."

Another charge made against the administration is that political appointees failed to give the generals enough troops in either Afghanistan or Iraq. In fact, Franks writes, it was his own choice to employ limited forces in order to avoid getting bogged down. Instead of relying on sheer size, he thought surprise and speed were the keys to victory -- a judgment largely vindicated by events.

In general (so to speak), Franks is complimentary about his bosses. Vice President Dick Cheney is praised for asking questions that "consistently cut to the core of the issue at hand." Bush comes across as a "confident" and "decisive" leader who refused to let politics intrude into his decision-making. When White House chief of staff Andrew Card brought up the issue of the 2002 elections as a factor in planning for war with Iraq, Bush reportedly snapped, "That is no consideration at all . . . Timing will have nothing to do with congressional elections or polls." Franks did become exasperated at times with the "genetically impatient" Donald Rumsfeld, but ultimately decided that he and the defense secretary made an effective team.

Not all is sweetness and light in American Soldier. Franks comes off as a bit tetchy. He complains in particular when the Joint Chiefs of Staff get involved in any operational issues that lie outside their jurisdiction. He accuses the chiefs of being focused only on their "parochial" service concerns, of leaking secrets to the press, wasting his time and offering "gratuitous" advice. In one extraordinary episode, he cusses out the Navy and Marine chiefs, Adm. Vern Clark and Gen. James Jones, in language that can't be reprinted here.

A particular target of his ire is Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith, whom he denounces as the "dumbest [expletive] guy on the planet" and "a theorist whose ideas were often impractical," without offering any examples. He adds, however, that "Rumsfeld never allowed Feith to interfere in my business." This -- along with the fact that Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz barely rates a mention in this book -- should help dispel the popular myth that a cabal of neoconservatives led by Wolfowitz and Feith has been running the war on terrorism. Actually Franks was the one in operational control until July 2003, and he offers not a single instance where Rumsfeld, Feith or any other politico forced him to do anything he didn't want to do.

Perhaps they should have. American Soldier reveals numerous blind spots: Franks never discusses why he didn't send more U.S. soldiers to cut off al Qaeda fighters escaping Tora Bora in December 2003 or Ba'athists fleeing to the Sunni Triangle in April 2004. Nor does he seriously ponder what more he could have done to foster a secure postwar environment in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the "impractical" suggestions from Feith that he disregarded, we now know, was to rally Iraqis to assist in their country's liberation. More than a year later, the United States continues to pay a heavy price for not having mobilized sufficient Iraqi security forces early on.

Reviewed by Max Boot
Copyright 2004, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Regan Books/Harper Collins; 1st Edition edition (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060731583
• ISBN-13: 978-0060731588
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (137 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #291,532 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

145 of 156 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A four-star review for a four-star general, August 3, 2004

By	FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Tommy Franks rose to prominence in the public eye only relatively recently, in the conduct of the post 9-11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraqi wars. However, Franks has been in the military and on the front lines, both combat and political, for a very long time. Franks enlisted in the army in 1965 (as I consider it, that's as long as I've been alive!) while still suffering from the effects from a hangover, brought on by a drinking bout due to general depression at failing college in Texas. (It is an interesting historical fact that many of America's better generals have not been the best students academically). Franks is not an academy graduate, having worked his way through OCS and almost immediately becoming a line officer in the Vietnam conflict.

Franks' career is a distinguished one, but perhaps the most telling part of which is that he was not really expected to be the outspoken, go-it-alone character that typified his Afghan and Iraq leaderships. The son of a poor family in Oklahoma and Texas regions that never quite recovered from the dust-bowl depression times, he was actually an adopted son who knew the secret years before his parents actually told him (he found his birth certificate in an old family Bible). He went to high school with the future first lady, Laura Bush, who was much more popular than he was, he wrote. He never made much of an impression in high school or his first attempt at college, but in the military, he stood out as an expert in marksmanship, and that was his ticket to OCS.

His rise through the military ranks was not meteoric -- his career spanned almost 40 years, and was fairly typical in many respects. His recounting of tales from Vietnam are standard for the genre; he has a heroic nature that he underplays in many respects -- he was wounded several times and won many combat decorations, but had originally intended to leave the military and get married after his tour was up; the military made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and the rest was history. He did get married, though, to Cathy; they have been married 35 years, and have moved at least 23 times in that period, according to Franks -- a bit more than usual, even among military families.

What most people will be interested in reading first, and I confess I did also, was his account of his time since gaining his fourth star in 2000 under President Clinton, and taking command of CENTCOM, based in Tampa (where Franks still lives much of the year). Franks has some tough words regarding the intelligence situation -- he states that he had direct contact with King Abdullah of Jordan and President Mubarek of Egypt, and both confirmed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (Mubarek claimed they were biological weapons). With regard to another recent author, Richard Clarke, Franks has strong criticism, stating that Clarke was far too much a fan of technology, and that none of Clarke's intelligence reports were ever helpful in a tactical or actionable manner.

Franks had a rocky start with the Bush administration; however, he eventually won over the thinking, particularly with regard to Rumsfeld, with whom he went from being at odds to being in close collaboration and friendly relations. President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld eventually gave Franks a very free reign; Franks did not go in for the daily press conference a la Desert Storm I; he also did not work in collaboration with other military leaders who questioned his judgement. He was given a remarkably free reign; successful in a tactical sense, this is still a controversial element in Franks' legacy.

Franks also devotes space to analysing the political scene in Washington, which he generally views as unhelpful. Franks defends his policies, quite at odds with the first Desert Storm / Colin Powell doctrine of using overwhelming force, describing the fall of Baghdad as only having been unexpected by cable news networks such as Al-Jazeera and CNN; the smaller force made his tactical movements far easier to accomplish. The capture of Baghdad was of vital importance, not only from the WMD perspective (which remains controversial) but also from the standpoint of preserving the oil and water supplies of Iraq, upon which the future of their country rests. Franks is very forward with his surprise at not finding weapons of mass destruction, calling that his biggest surprise of the Iraqi war, when all intelligence, even the words of other Arab leaders, seemed to confirm this.

Franks harshest criticism is reserved for the Iraqis themselves, who he sees as wasting the opportunity to rebuild their country with their terrorism and guerilla warfare. Whether one agrees with this assessment or not, it is present in a frank and honest manner.

Franks is current a 'hot ticket item' on the lecture series. Having retired from the military a few months after major engagement stopped in Iraq, his legacy is still one in question, because the outcome of the war is not yet known; the peace has not been won.

This is an important book to read for insights into the modern military leadership mind, a force likely to be important for some time to come.

60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard hitting, Concise, Excellent Insight, August 5, 2004

By	Joseph Thomas (Richfield, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I started reading General Frank's book at 4:00 P.M. and did not put it down till 2:00 A.M. the next morning finished. A fascinating life story of a truly great professional warrior. The book clearly depicts the dedication and the professionalism of the American military. I believe the book could have been 1100 pages and still have been just as riveting. The General's description of the countless hours and meticulous care that went into the planning of military operations from Desert Storm to Operation Iraqi Freedom makes me appreciate the U.S. and Allied military forces even more than I did. I think his recounting of the facts as he knew them to be concerning WMD's in Iraq should but unfortunately probably will not silence the naysayers. I also found his narrative of the rebuilding of the morale and the professionalism of the U.S. Army following Vietnam of particular interest. A great work from an obviously very honest and sincere gentleman. Thank you Tommy Ray Franks.

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Soldier, August 5, 2004

By	L. Hobson (Palmdale California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Now here is a man that served his county well and gained the respect of every one that came close to him. A military man with class and did his job of Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command like it should be done. Growing up poor and not doing the best in school to being placed at the lead of his command makes this man a true leader of men. He tells of his life in Oklahoma and on to Texas to fighting in Vietnam and taking a few pieces of lead doing it. He knows what the word (Terrorism) means and what the united States fighting team is doing about it. I can't say enough about this book, its one every one should read if you really want to know what is going on in this fight that the United States is out to win. Larry Hobson- Author- "The Day Of The Rose"