Gen Franks…Good Guy or Bad Guy?
You decide. I would like to hear your take on this. I hope that this is not completely true, and that there is another, more respectable side to this story.
Military ‘Charity’ Rewards Celebrity Generals First
By Jay Bookman
In the combat tradition of the U.S. military, officers are supposed to eat last, after the enlisted personnel under their command have been served. It’s a gesture of respect, a way to communicate the idea that a good officer puts the well-being of his soldiers before his own.
But Gen. Tommy Franks, who commanded the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, apparently believes that custom no longer applies once he takes off his uniform.
After his retirement in 2003, Franks followed the career path trod by many generals before him, cashing in on his celebrity by accepting well-paid speaking gigs, writing a book and serving on corporate boards. Franks also agreed to lend his name to fund-raising efforts by an outfit called the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, a charity created to assist wounded veterans.
“The whole purpose will be to help put our disabled veterans on the road to a productive and rewarding life by assisting them to better develop their own abilities to overcome their disabilities,” Franks said in a mass mailing sent out over his signature.
The founder of the group, Roger Chapin, has created other veterans’ charities as well, such as Help Hospitalized Veterans. From 2004 to 2006, his groups collected $160 million in contributions from Americans wanting to help those who had been harmed in the line of duty.
Unfortunately, only a small percentage of that money ever trickled down to veterans. According to congressional investigators, Chapin and his group spent $125 million on fund-raising, salaries and expenses such as a membership in a country club, eating up 74 cents of every contributed dollar.
Over that time period, Chapin and his wife paid themselves $1.5 million in salary and more than $340,000 in personal expenses, not including the charity’s purchase of a $440,000 condo for their use in the Washington. D.C., area. And it was all legal.
In congressional testimony last week, Chapin was asked whether groups such as his should at least be required to tell potential donors just how much — or in his case, how little — of their contribution actually reaches its intended target.
Chapin thought that was a terrible idea. “If we disclose, we’d be out of business,” he said.
Chapin and his wife weren’t the only ones to profit from the charity. As the Army Times and others reported, Franks also got a piece of the action. In return for use of his name, the general was paid $100,000 from money intended to help wounded veterans. Chapin has also been paying Air Force retired Brig. Gen. Arthur Diehl III $5,000 a month for similar fund-raising help.
“I am proud to contribute my time and financial support to Salute America’s Heroes,” Diehl wrote in one fund-raising letter.
To his credit, Franks later ended his relationship with the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes. However, he did so not because he thought it inappropriate to take money meant to help wounded veterans, but because so little of the money was actually reaching the vets.
Many of those veterans had been wounded under Franks’ command. They paid the price in missing arms and legs, shattered minds and broken psyches, while Franks collected fame and fortune.
To some degree, that’s the way it always was and always will be. Grunts fight and die; generals get the glory. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ulysses S. Grant and even George Washington rode military fame all the way to the presidency.
But a top general profiting from a charity supposedly established to help the wounded … well, let’s just say the general made sure he ate first this time, ahead of all those folks in wheelchairs.
Jay Bookman is the deputy editorial page editor. His column appears Thursdays and Mondays.
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Im with Iggy, i hope there is another side to this story. I have trouble trashing Gen. Franks while knowing so little about this. Its the first time I heard about this but if true I would definitely look at him differently. I think he deserves great things just as all of our military does but not at the expense of our wounded warriors.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:33 amIt’s sad but true… he was fooled.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:42 amThis article focuses more on hurting Franks than on the false front of a charity exploiting wounded vets. I can’t dig into thus author right now, but it smells of raum or soros, like something I would read in the NY times.
Fact is the 100k is not out of the realm of work like this. The fact he quit when he found out the low return negates the previous insults by the author. To one sided to make real judgement.
BTY Franks mentioned in his book he drinks Wild Turkey, that is worth the benefit of doubt.
January 24th, 2008 at 7:39 amIt’s the so-called charity that should be taking the hit. I don’t like the idea of lumping in Franks with the charity…since Franks did the right thing by leaving the charity. If he was a dick, he would have stayed.
So famous people demand large sums of money to do work as a civilian? So what else is new? And it is no big deal to me.
The fact that Washington, Grant, and Eisenhower went on to POTUS is irrelevant.
What IS relevant is that this charity is scum and should be disbanded ASAP.
In short, it looks like a hit piece on Franks to me.
January 24th, 2008 at 7:55 am“To his credit, Franks later ended his relationship with the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes.”
“However, he did so not because he thought it inappropriate to take money meant to help wounded veterans, but because so little of the money was actually reaching the vets.”
Good guy no matter how you slice it in my opinion.
He ended his relationship with them for the right reasons. Because too much was being siphoned off by the true low life in this, Roger Chapin. $1.5 million in salary?!? $340,000 in personal expenses, a $440,000 condo?!? The $100,000 he got is just kibble in comparison.
Look at this in perspective. His salary was .0008% of the total amount ($160,000,000) collected for the charity for gods sake!
I see no problem with him getting paid by the charity and he is a class guy for wanting to see more of the funds go to his troops.
Total hit job piece.
Cheers to him.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:16 amwww.mc-lef.com
These guys do it right.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:37 amarmy times as well as the other “military times” are a private “news” paper..do not take stock in their political bias.. the military has nothing to do with them,,
January 24th, 2008 at 9:25 amhttp://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/14/pf_phil_06charities_Help-Hospitalized-Veterans_CH0268.html
Jay Bookman is an op/ed guy writing for the ultra-liberal Atlanta-Journal Constitution (AJC). Don’t believe anything he says…if his past writings are any indication, it’s mostly make believe anyway.
January 24th, 2008 at 9:38 ammost charities get a failing grade fm some where..
January 24th, 2008 at 9:53 amhttp://abcnews.go.com/images/Blotter/charity_reportcard_v3_071109.pdf
the liberal bias would give the pope an “F”..and all my college profs gave me an “F” at one time or another,,
dad3-7 - with your convoluted logic it’s a wonder you didn’t get F’s in all your courses by all of your professors. Let me know the college so I can make sure my kids don’t apply there. If everybody does it that makes it OK right?
January 24th, 2008 at 11:42 amA hit piece on Franks. As far as the charity is concerned, not unusual either. MDA telethon only pays 20 cents per dollar to the actual work… The charity should be disbanded.
January 24th, 2008 at 12:09 pm