Coming of Age in the Army

Franks signs up for the Army after he flunks out of college. Franks fully intends to serve only one stint of duty in Vietnam, marry his girlfriend, and return to private life. One of the turning points of the book is when he decides to reenlist and allow the Army to pay for the rest of his education. Even though it is not obvious to Franks that he belongs in the Army, it is obvious to the reader that Franks is meant to be a soldier. Franks likes Army life and the Army way of doing things from the get-go.

Franks changes in the course of the book from a green recruit to the main strategist and chief commander of the war in Iraq. Franks literally grows up in the Army. Franks changes from uneducated small town boy to an international diplomat sent...