Synthesis Essay General Tommy Franks - 1656 Words

Synthesis Essay – General Tommy Franks MSgt Brian G. Harper Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy 9 September 2014 Instructor: MSgt Adrian L. Hall General Tommy Franks General Tommy Franks last Army post was as the Commander of the U.S. Central Command, overseeing U.S. military operations in a 25-country region, including the Middle East; however, the command that stands out to me was his first. He was a truly a transformational leader, both visionary and ethical. Visionary Leader The time was 1973, just at the tail end of the Vietnam War. General Franks was a Captain commanding a Battery of nine howitzers in Bayreuth Germany. His unit was full of drug dealers and draftees that didn’t want to be in the Army.†¦show more content†¦His unit was performing well and morale was high, but he realized that he still has a lot to learn about leadership. That summer one of his Lieutenants approached him about a soldier he refers to as Garcia. He tells Captain Franks that Garcia is always late for the morning formation and that the night before he cussed him out. Handing Captain Franks Garcia’s paperwork he said he was recommending Garcia for a Court Marshal. As Captain Franks looked over the personnel folder he realized that there was something wrong; Garcia had recently re-enlisted, earned a GED, and had been nominated for Soldier of the Quarter. He calls Garcia into his office and asks him what was wrong. Garcia’s mannerisms and clear disr espect were readily apparent. Captain Franks gets straight to the point and asks Garcia what his problem is. After hearing a gut wrenching story of Garcia requesting leave through the chain of command to return to the states for his Grandmothers funeral and being denied because he was too important to the team to let go, then a subsequent request for leave, after his younger brother was murdered, again being denied for the same reason, and the emotional anguish that Garcia was going through Captain Franks was deeply moved. This is the point that he begins a change into a transformational leader. At that moment he put his arm around Garcia and states â€Å"What happened is my fault. I know