Oklahoman General Tommy Franks

Monday, March 24th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The top Allied commander for the Iraqi war is an Oklahoma native. General Tommy Franks was born in the Sooner state and still has relatives here. News on 6 anchor Terry Hood has more.

He talks tough. General Tommy Franks: "Saddam Hussein was given a choice by the international community to give up his weapons of mass destruction or loose power. He chose unwisely and now he will loose both.â€

Makes tough decisions. And is at the helm of troops toughing it out abroad. But relatives of US commander General Tommy Franks say it's his kindness that makes him well suited for his work. General Frankâ€™s sister in law, Rita: "He's smart. He's good at what he does and yet he has a real heart."

General Franks was born in Wynnewood, a small town in southern Oklahoma. He spent 34 years of military service at Fort Sill. That's where he met his wife, James' sister. James and Rita asked us not to use their last names to protect the general.

In an interview during the war in Afghanistan, James and Rita were still getting accustomed to seeing their brother-in-law on television. â€œHe's a real person, he's a family man, husband, father, grandfather, a believer of God and Jesus Christ and I'd like people to know that."

Rita and James say they're proud of their brother-in-law and they think he's the right man for the job. â€œHe doesn't do things for the glory, he does things cause they're the right thing to do and I think it's a great to have a man in that position who thinks that way."

General Tommy Franks has been called a soldier's soldier, but leading allied forces in Afghanistan and now Iraq, has pushed him in front of the cameras and into the realm of politics.