The Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command from July 2000 through July 2003, General Tommy Franks made history by leading U.S. and Coalition forces to victory in Afghanistan and Iraq — the battles that launched the war on terrorism. His New York Times bestselling memoir is the first account of the war as told by a true insider.

In American Soldier, Franks retraces his journey from a small-town boyhood in Oklahoma and Texas, through a lifetime of military service. Franks puts the reader in the Operations Center for the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom just weeks after 9/11. He reveals the role of foreign leaders — and a critical double agent code-named “April Fool”— in the most successful military deception since D-Day. He also offers a candid assessment of the war’s aftermath in this remarkable tale of the man who became the senior American military officer in the most dangerous region on earth.

General Tommy Franks retired from the Army on August 1, 2003. General Franks has been awarded three Defense Distinguished Service Medals, two Distinguished Service Medals, and four Legion of Merit awards. His other decorations include three Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, an Air Medal, and an Army Commendation Medal-all with “V” for valor. In 2004 he was named a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. General Franks lives with his wife, Cathy, in Tampa, Florida.

“Powerful ... Franks’ descriptions of battles are riveting.” — New York Times