Frank talk with Tommy Franks
Retired general Tommy Franks got the advice he gave students onThursday morning from a meeting with New York Yankees owner GeorgeSteinbrenner.
“I was a big fan of baseball as a youngster,” Frankssaid. “I was thrilled when my dad took me to meet GeorgeSteinbrenner … when I was 12. Steinbrenner … asked meto throw in the opening pitch — me a 12-year-old kid. Idid.
“He then handed me a white envelope and said,‘Don’t open it.’ I had all kinds of illusionsthat I was going to be a brand new pitcher or something. When I gothome, I was a little disappointed to find a simple 3-by-5-inchindex card inside with 12 things typed on it. I read the 12 thingsand agreed with them all.”
The list said “Winners never quit, and quitters neverwin,” and “There is no substitute forvictory.”
“I have lived by these two rules ever since,” Frankssaid.
The retired general shared with high school juniors and seniorsthe things that have helped him succeed in life as part of the HartGlobal Leaders Forum in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center afterhaving received the Metal of Freedom from the university Wednesdaynight.
Franks also stressed the point of respecting authority, peers,and never placing too much value on their own worth over someoneelse.
“I was so proud of my medal this morning and was reallyfeeling full of myself,” Franks said “I turned to mywife of 35 years, Kathy, and asked her how many REAL generals didshe think there were in the world.”
His wife looked at him seriously, paused and said, “Idon’t know, but I bet there is one less than you think thereis.”
Even George W. Bush, in a playful mood once told him that if hehad a few more medals, Franks could be a doorman.
Franks said bosses, such as the president and Secretary ofDefense Donald Rumsfeld, have access to more material orinformation than we do and can see a much bigger picture than wecan.
He also advised students to always ask the opinions ofsubordinates when they get out into the working world because itgives them a reason to work and to serve the company’s needs.He said that students should never forget that the opinions ofevery man and woman count.
“Never be too full of your own self worth,” Frankssaid, “but it’s okay once in a while for you to thinkabout what’s important in life to you. You have to find yoursense of balance or your sense of focus. Remember where yourpriorities lie. Stay focused. Don’t lose sight of yourdreams.”
Franks said that 40 years ago he did not have the focus, visionor balance that the students today possess.
He would rather have been out fishing or hot-rodding rather thanattending functions that he would benefit intellectually from.
He said that he though the knew what wisdom was then but learnedwhat it truly was later.
“Wisdom is not only intellectual acuity but is obtainedwith experience. Going places, meeting people, expanding yourhorizons and curiosity are the means by which we obtainwisdom,” Franks said. “When I was a young lieutenantfresh out of [Officer Candidate School], I knew it all.
“Then when I began to travel, I learned that I did notknow as much as I thought I did. I am a much wiser man now than Iwas three months ago, and I was wiser then than I had been threeyears ago. Let every day be a new beginning and learn fromit.”
