Part 3, Chapter 8 Summary

On October 7, 2001, Franks is at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Franks attends a video conference that includes Vice President Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and others in Washington, as well as Generals in position in Arab countries. The war begins when Franks tells his Generals, "Accomplish the mission and protect the force." President Bush announces to the world that Americans have begun their strikes against al Qaeda training camps and Taliban military establishments in Afghanistan. It is called 'Operation Enduring Freedom.'

Franks describes his pleasure at watching the high-tech weapons at work. Franks has an 'Olympian' view of the battlefield as advanced weaponry like TLAMs and JDAMs blast buildings around Kabul and Kandahar. Remembering 9/11, he does not mind that people are killed and thinks to himself, "Crush the bastards." The first strikes and the first contacts with the enemy go very...