Product Description

General Tommy Franks served as the Commander-in-Chief of Centcom, the military authority that led the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from late 2001 to 2003. These wars were planned and implemented by a very small group of key players: President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and General Tommy Franks. American Soldier is the first in-depth account by one of these players: a dramatic, intimate - and candid - insider's look at the march to war, from the man who commanded the campaigns. Previous books on the Iraq War, such as Bob Woodward's Plan of Attack, have only scratched the surface of this story. American Soldier - which is already being pursued by every major news network - will contain headline after dramatic headline, drawn directly from Franks's own experience and from recently declassified records available here for the first time. Among the subjects covered: The definitive first-person account, minute-by-minute, of the process of planning both wars: how the decisions were made and why; The most frank and revealing portrait yet of America's wartime leaders in the Bush White House, the Rumsfeld Pentagon, the CIA, and the State Department, and the role their personalities - and sometimes stormy partnerships - played in the moments of critical decision; The most authoritative - and no-holds-barred - account of the Iraq War: from what went right during the initial phase, to what has gone wrong thereafter...including Franks's candid assessment of postwar planning, and the situation in Iraq today; An insider's account of what the United States knew about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction program - where the intelligence pointed, what we found, and what it means; General Franks's eye-opening predictions for the future of the region and American democracy in an era of endless conflict

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #591447 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 608 pages

Customer Reviews

A four-star review for a four-star general
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.

Preview looked promising
The Sunday Times ran a good length preview from this book on Sunday 01 August. This made for enjoyable reading. Whilst the author did not come across as a great literary genius his passion for the subject matter was absolutely obvious. The style of writing mimics that of many American miltary officers speaking which might irritate some readers, however the style should grip most readers, especially those in the military for whom this will no doubt become another piece of essential reading for work and professional development.

Excellent insight into a real leader's mind
The whole life of a 'soldier's soldier' who grew up to lead America in both Afghanistan and Iraq Mark 2. Franks has written a balanced history of his time in the military that covers his time in Vietnam and finishes with his bringing together the various factions in a Combined Operation that simply overwhelmed the Iraqi forces. His genuine response to casualties and success show his human side, and Franks is not ashamed to aknowledge the real strength that drove him on - his ever supportive wife. A serendipitous surprise and a great insight into a truly great leader