The National Center for Policy Analysis
Fort Worth Speaker’s Series
presents
General Tommy R. Franks
Retired General in the United States Army, previously serving as Commander-in-Chief of the United States Central Command
Interviewed by nationally syndicated talk radio host
Mike Gallagher
Monday, October 26, 2009
12:00PM – 1:15PM
Omni Fort Worth
Fort Worth Ballroom
1300 Houston Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
GENERAL TOMMY FRANKS
Tommy Franks was born in Wynnewood, OK and grew up in Midland, TX. After two years at the University of Texas, he joined the United States Army and in 1967, as a distinguished graduate of the Artillery Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and sent to Viet Nam.
His service in Viet Nam earned him six awards for Valor and three Purple Hearts. That assignment was the start of a long and distinguished career that would take him for one world hot spot to another.
In June 2000, he was promoted to four-star General and assigned as Commander-in-Chief, United States Central Command. It’s in this position that the world knows Tommy Franks best – the culmination of an almost four-decade military career that saw him lead American and Coalition troops in two strategically unprecedented campaigns in two years – Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.
The General’s awards include five Distinguished Service Medals, four Legions of Merit, four Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts in addition to numerous foreign awards. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by order of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on May 25, 2004. And President George W. Bush awarded him the Nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom on December 14, 2004.
Since his retirement from the military in 2003, General Franks has traveled the world speaking on leadership, character and the value of Democracy. His autobiography, American Soldier debuted as Number #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list in August 2004.
General Franks and his wife, Cathryn Carley Franks, have one daughter and three grandchildren. The Franks divide their time between their home in Tampa, FL and their ranch in Roosevelt, OK.
Interviewed by Mike Gallagher
Nationally syndicated talk radio host and Fox News Contributor
Mike Gallagher, radio host and Fox News contributor, is America’s most entertaining conservative, displaying a sense of humor and timing honed over years in the cauldron of local and national radio talk show experience. His program currently reaches 1.1 million listeners daily on nearly 120 affiliates nationwide. Now in Mike’s 11th year of national syndication, The Mike Gallagher Show one of the most consistently popular programs on national radio.