Frederick M. Franks, Jr. was born in West Lawn, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in June, 1959 and retired from the Army on November 30, 1994. He served in the Army for more than 35 years, commanding in Vietnam and Kuwait and retiring a general. He works with the U. S. Army's Battle Command Training Program for senior tactical commanders and staffs teaching battle command in seminars and war games. Franks collaborated with Tom Clancy on Into the Storm, A Study in Command. He has also written for magazine publication on a variety of military-oriented topics.