Franks, Tommy Ray (1945-…), a United States Army general, headed the American-led forces during the initial combat phase of the Iraq War (2003-2011). Franks was commander in chief of the U.S. Central Command from 2000 to mid-2003. In that post, he was responsible for overseeing U.S. military operations in 25 countries of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, including Iraq. In 2001, he commanded the forces of the United States and its allies in Afghanistan, where the allied forces helped overthrow the country’s Taliban leaders.
Franks was born on June 17, 1945, in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. He grew up in Midland, Texas, where his family moved when he was a boy. Franks earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1971 and a master’s degree in public administration from Shippensburg University in 1985.
Franks’s military career began in 1965, when he joined the U.S. Army. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1967 after completing artillery officer candidate school at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He then served for a year in Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1957-1975) and was wounded three times.
Franks moved up through Army ranks as he held posts in West Germany and at the Pentagon. During the Persian Gulf War of 1991, he was an assistant division commander of the First Cavalry Division. He headed the Second Infantry Division in South Korea from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to 2000, he was the commander of the Third U.S. Army.
In 2000, Franks became commander in chief of the U.S. Central Command and received the rank of general. He retired from the post and from the U.S. Army in July 2003. His autobiography, American Soldier, was published in 2004. Also in 2004, Franks was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
