WASHINGTON, 12 February 2003 — The head of US Central Command — the man in charge of commanding the US forces in the Gulf — has been eating C-rations since 1965, when he enlisted in the US Army as a private and started working his way up through the ranks.
A college dropout, Gen. Tommy Franks grew up in Midland, Texas, in the hot West Texas oil plains. At 57 and six-foot-three, he likes country music, old motorcycles, cigars, margaritas and golf. And despite his position, it is said he is not caught up in the trappings of the prestige and spectacle of his position.
In 1967, Franks was as a second lieutenant out of Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He saw his first combat experience as an artillery officer in Vietnam, and was wounded there three times.
Now, as the commander in chief of Central Command, Franks is in charge of US military operations for 25 nations in Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East — including Iraq and Afghanistan. Time Magazine named him Man of the Week.
His colleagues say he earned his stars — as well as his command of the most powerful military force in the world — by his combination of an eagle eye and a strong will. His troops look up to him, in part, because they say he has never forgotten his common roots.
Tough Army general on the outside, Franks is devoted to his family and is very protective about them. The general’s official biography doesn’t even mention he has a family. But he does. Married for 34 years to Cathy Carley Franks, the couple has one daughter, Jacqy Franks Matlock, who is married to a major serving in the 1st Calvary Division. He has a granddaughter who is 5, and a grandson who is 3. They call their grandfather “Pooh.”
Franks enjoys his country music, and is said to have his own version of one of country western music’s favorite songs: Garth Brooks’ “I Got Friends in Low Places.”
This man who occupies the headlines today appears to have only one major hiccup in his long career. He is currently under investigation by the Pentagon’s chief inspector general regarding alleged abuse of his office.
Investigators believe the Central Command chief violated some restrictions involving his wife, including allegedly allowing her to sit in on classified briefings, and failing to reimburse the government for his wife’s travel expenses on a military aircraft.
