BY JOYCE GODWIN

HERALD DEMOCRAT

HOBART, Okla. -- Retired Gen. Tommy Franks got the jump Saturday on the weekend of celebrating the country's veterans at his museum and leadership institute with a "Salute to Service" for veterans, military personnel, service individuals, their families and guests.

A crowd of about 200 people gathered in the small town of Hobart, Okla., for the event and heard from the retired four-star Army general who led the entire military forces that entered Iraq in 2003 and beyond, speak of bravery and freedom. After he spoke, the museum, which is not yet open to the public, was opened for friends and family of service men and women and veterans.

"How many of you are either veterans of service, or family of veterans of service, or love those who served?" he asked the crowd, only to see 100 percent of the hands raised. "Good," he said, "we can move forward."

Franks referred to the more than 230 years of American history and said, "If you were anywhere around my wife at any particular time in your life, she would have given you an education about history because she's a history teacher. She's been giving me an education on history for a lot of years, going on 40 of them." He also credited his wife with the exhibits in the museum bearing his name.

Franks, former head of U.S. Central Command, struggled with emotions as he tried to talk about the military forces throughout U.S. history. He began at the battles of Lexington and Concord "more than 230 years ago when Americans first stood up and said 'hey, hey, hey, we're Americans and we're going to live in a country that's free.'" When he got to the Vietnam section of American history, he became silent as he waited to gain control of his emotions.

After a long silence, the crowd applauded to help relieve the general's struggle.

"We are today with young men and women serving a long way from home in Afghanistan and Iraq, not for the purpose of celebrating war but for the purpose of guaranteeing peace and freedom and the ability for you and me and my family and my daughter and her husband and our grandkids standing right over there to be able to live in the land of the free because of the brave," he said. "It's time this time of year for us to recognize our veterans, recognize their families, recognize those who served and raise our heads up and not be ashamed that we are the land of the free, home of the brave, and if you don't believe that, just try to take it away from us."

Franks also expressed regret that Americans didn't welcome home the U.S. troops who fought in the Vietnam War. "We as Americans have never done the best job we could have done and we didn't do what we should have done when we should have said welcome home to all those who served over there a long time ago in a place called Vietnam," he said to a resounding applause of agreement from his audience.

Franks ended by saying he was finished "bawlin' -- I get emotional when I talk about these things." He provided refreshments and encouraged all to tour the Tommy Franks Museum and Leadership Institute facilities, still not completed.

Roberta Allard is one of the volunteers at the museum. She said she was born and raised in Hobart, Okla., and is excited the general chose to build his museum in Hobart. She is also a volunteer who goes with the "road show." The museum has a truck and trailer equipped with exhibits meant to expose school children to cultures they might otherwise never see. He shows the areas of the Middle East where wars have been fought and tracks his own journeys through history. The traveling program is already slated for 130 Oklahoma schools in the coming year.

Franks' museum is housed in historic downtown buildings lining the western side of an entire city block. Franks consulted with Bill Godwin of Van Alstyne, Franks' childhood friend, about finding memorabilia from Franks' years in Midland. Godwin has set himself on a mission to try to gather those things for Franks' displays.

Godwin and Franks embraced Saturday and took a few moments to reminisce between the demands on Franks throughout the day. Godwin and school friend Paula Clarkson of Vernon commented to Franks they were curious as to how Franks could have earned a "Good Conduct Medal" after seeing it in one of the museum displays.

Michael Hayes, chief of staff for Franks for many years and a member of the museum's board, said the most difficult piece for the museum to get was the jacket worn by President Bush when he advised the press from Crawford that Franks would be leading the troops.

"That was his favorite jacket and he didn't want to give it up," Hayes said. He explained that he finally turned in desperation to the First Lady and she extracted it from the President's closet.

The museum is scheduled to open to the public in May 2009.