General Tommy Franks Had a Choice

General Tommy Franks Had a Choice

Last Wednesday, I had to decide which Veteran’s Day Ceremony to attend. I chose to attend the ceremony in Frederick partly because Frederick does not usually have a big ceremony. But, the main reason was to hear a great American hero deliver a speech. The audience included several veterans from the Tillman county area, but mainly it was Frederick High School students. I overheard a conversation prior to the ceremony where someone said that General Franks had a choice of ten different places to be that day. I am not sure if the students fully grasped who General Franks is because he did not arrive in a limo; he wore an open-collar shirt and a sport coat. He chose to speak to a group of kids, when just the week before he was having a meeting with the king of Jordan. He could have been at any number of large scale ceremonies with large crowds of awe-struck veterans and families. But, General Franks chose the low-key location where he could address a group of students on that very important day.

General Franks has been all over the world. He is a true American hero. A few years ago, I personally witnessed a line of people wrapped around the Lawton Wal-Mart store to get his autograph on their personal copies of his book “American Soldier”. His speaking fee, I am sure, is in the tens of thousands of dollars. He has been everywhere and seen it all. It is kinda interesting that a man of his stature and accomplishment really enjoys living in Southwest Oklahoma. As a matter of a fact, I am pretty sure that he and his wife, Cathy, ate lunch at Sonic that afternoon.

I guess it could be said that General Franks took the easy deal close to home, but from what I know about him, he made that choice for the right reasons. He saw a chance to educate young people about the value of military service and he honored a small group of Tillman county veterans in the process. I hope that the folks in Tillman County appreciated the opportunity to be in the presence of greatness. It was very moving to hear the high school choir and band as they performed patriotic numbers. It was a great ceremony and I for one appreciate what happened that day.

“Tommy Ray”, as his parents called him, was born in Wynnewood, Oklahoma and grew up in rural Oklahoma where he learned those solid values that we all know are so important. He spent part of his military career at Ft. Sill. He married Cathy Carley and they now live on the Ellis family ranch not far from Hobart. He has done a great deal for the community of Hobart. A museum has been established to exhibit many of his items of interest that have been gathered from his highly decorated career. I actually attended the soft opening of that museum a year or so ago and would recommend anyone looking for a quick day trip to go to Hobart and see what General Franks has amassed over the years.

I am sure that a retired four-star general who led the charge for the American forces against the war on terror would probably have a security detail anytime he travels. But, he did not need it in Frederick, Oklahoma. I am also sure that, rather than drawing the big check, he came to Frederick because it was the right thing to do. I, for one, would like to thank General Franks for honoring those veterans from Tillman County whose service to our great country means every bit as much as veterans from anywhere else in the United States. It was a very special day and I was honored to be present. Thank you general. Our country is in your debt.

If you would like to contact me while I am at the capitol, please do not hesitate to send an email to donarmes@house.gov or call me at 1-800-522-8502.

And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:

“Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was”.
–Robert Louis Stevenson