MacDill's fast track

The men who have commanded the forces at MacDill Air Force Base are in an elite group of America's most influential military leaders.

WASHINGTON -- The list reads like a Who's Who of recent American military history: Schwarzkopf, Shelton, Zinni, Franks, Ralston, Hoar, Peay, Downing.

They are unofficial members of an exclusive club -- those who have commanded forces at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. And several have gone on to jobs with even greater responsibility.

Schwarzkopf: Commanded U.S. forces during the Gulf War; now an author, analyst.
Shelton: Former Socom leader retired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recently.
Downing: Former Socom leader now helps direct the White House war on terror.
Zinni: New special envoy to Middle East used to be Centcom commander.

Gen. Henry "Hugh" Shelton recently retired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Retired Gen. Anthony Zinni was just named special envoy to the Middle East. And less than a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, Gen. Wayne Allan Downing came out of semiretirement to help direct the White House war on terror.

Which raises the question: What is it about MacDill that not only attracts but also graduates some of America's most influential military leaders?

People familiar with base operations offer various responses: its strategic importance during the Cold War; the political clout of Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Largo, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee; and most importantly, the demands of modern warfare.

Since its inception in January 1983, the Central Command, one of two unified combatant commands based at MacDill, has been responsible for U.S. security interests in one of the most volatile regions of the world, including south Asia and the Middle East. Indeed, the Central Command, or Centcom, prosecuted the last major war of the 20th century, the Persian Gulf War, and the first major war of the 21st century, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

"MacDill," says retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the former U.S. drug czar, "has more operational impact on American national security than any other base."

As a result, whenever the Centcom commander-in-chief slot opens, the military elite clamor for a shot. It's the same story with the super-secret Special Operations Command, or Socom, which oversees the nation's Special Operations forces. As the war in Afghanistan has shown, Socom does most of its fighting in secret. Both Shelton and Downing served as commanders of Socom.

"You can get a lot of hard-charging guys that want to be assigned there because of its missions," retired Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III, a former Centcom commander, said in a recent interview. He added, "I was thrilled to have that command."

He's had good company.

The most famous is retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the commander of U.S. forces during the Gulf War. Schwarzkopf went on to become a best-selling author and military analyst.

Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the current Centcom commander, is directing the war in Afghanistan. He replaced Zinni in July 2000. Speaking about the job, Franks says, "It isn't everyone who can wake up every day and be challenged intellectually, physically, in the sense of stamina, and I like that."

Gen. Joseph W. Ralston, meanwhile, commander of the old 56th Tactical Training Wing at MacDill, is commander-in-chief of the U.S. European Command, responsible for 89 nations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Before assuming the post last year, Ralston was vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

The United States has nine unified combatant commands scattered around the world. They are the Central Command, the Special Operations Command, the European Command, the Joint Forces Command, the Pacific Command, the Southern Command, the Space Command, the Strategic Command and the Transportation Command. MacDill is the only base with two of the unified commands.

While officers say they would jump at the chance to lead any one of the unified commands, they note that Centcom has an especially strong pull. Officers say that any one of these postings can make or break a career, but that Centcom is where the action is.

"Everybody who ever has had that job," said retired Gen. Joseph P. Hoar, a former Centcom commander, "has been tested."

He should know.

On his watch, on Oct. 3, 1993, 18 Special Operations forces were killed during a daylight raid on a market in Mogadishu, Somalia. The debacle prompted the Clinton administration to end its humanitarian mission in Somalia.

World events have helped the base keep a steady pace. Capt. Darren Berry, the MacDill spokesman, points out that the people assigned to the base understand that it's not the end of the line but a stepping stone.

"When you come to MacDill, it's not like Jurassic Park," Berry says. "You have lieutenants and captains walking around here who will be the leaders of tomorrow."

MacDill Field was dedicated in April 1941. It was named in honor of Col. Leslie MacDill of Monmouth, Ill., who died in a plane crash in Washington in 1938. During World War II, unlike today, thousands of airmen were stationed on the base. Crews were trained on several types of aircraft, including B-17, B-25, B-26 and B-29 bombers.

Over the years, MacDill often has been on the frontlines of history.

According to Young, for example, Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets, the Enola Gay pilot who dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945, once was stationed at MacDill.

During the Cold War, the base frequently sheltered bombers equipped with nuclear weapons.

At one time, it also housed an F-16 training wing.

"I think it definitely holds its own," said Young, "because the missions at MacDill have always been very important."

In January 1983, Centcom was activated as the successor to the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force. The headquarters staff includes more than 900 personnel from each of the four military services. Centcom was based at MacDill -- and not within its area of responsibility, like the other unified commands -- because of political sensitivities in the Middle East.

The Special Operations Command was activated in April 1987.

In addition to its historic role and to the demands on the two base commands, MacDill also draws top quality officers because of its affiliation with Young, officers say.

The thinking is that anything MacDill wants, MacDill gets. Indeed, Young is largely credited with keeping the base open when it was slated for closure in the early 1990s.

"I think he's a factor," said McCaffrey, one-time commander of the Southern Command, now in Miami but formerly based in Panama. "He helps to influence Congress."

And McCaffrey points to something else.

"You've gotta be nuts if you don't like Florida," he says. "That's a pretty big deal."

In peacetime, the commanders travel their areas of responsibility extensively, working to build relationships with foreign leaders. Oftentimes, they overshadow the State Department.

On Sept. 11, for example, on the day of the terrorist attacks, Franks was in the Mediterranean island of Crete on his way to Pakistan.

Hoar says relationship building is key to the job. It proves helpful in moments of crisis.

"Most of us join the military for the adventure of it," he says. "What can be more fun, stimulating, than to be immersed in a culture quite foreign to the United States? It's just astounding."

Distinguished alumni of MacDill Air Force Base

GEN. H. NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF, Army, retired

TITLE AT MACDILL: Commander-in-chief, Central Command, November 1988 to August 1991.

MOST KNOWN FOR: He ran Gulf War.

WHAT DOING NOW: Author, military analyst.

GEN. HENRY H. SHELTON, Army, retired

TITLE AT MACDILL: Commander-in-chief, Special Operations Command, March 1996 to August 1997.

MOST KNOWN FOR: Former chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WHAT DOING NOW: Retired in October, catching his breath.

GEN. ANTHONY C. ZINNI, Marine Corps, retired

TITLE AT MACDILL: Commander-in-chief, Central Command, August 1997 to July 2000.

MOST KNOWN FOR: Enforcing no-fly zone over Iraq.

WHAT DOING NOW: U.S. envoy to the Middle East.

GEN. J.H. BINFORD PEAY III, Army, retired

TITLE AT MACDILL: Commander-in-chief, Central Command, August 1994 to August 1997.

MOST KNOWN FOR: Operation Vigilant Warrior, October 1994, kept Iraq from attacking Kuwait, again.

WHAT DOING NOW: Consultant.

GEN. WAYNE ALLAN DOWNING, Army, retired

TITLE AT MACDILL: Commander-in-chief, Special Operations Command, May 1993 to March 1996.

MOST KNOWN FOR: Counterterrorist expert.

WHAT DOING NOW: National director and deputy national security adviser for combatting terrorism.

GEN. TOMMY R. FRANKS, Army, active duty

TITLE AT MACDILL: Commander-in-chief, Central Command, July 2000 to present.

MOST KNOWN FOR: Running war in Afghanistan.

GEN. JOSEPH W. RALSTON, Air Force, active duty

TITLE AT MACDILL: Commander, 56th Tactical Training Wing, February 1986 to March 1987.

MOST KNOWN FOR: Vice-chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WHAT DOING NOW: Commander-in-chief, U.S. European Command.

GEN. JOSEPH P. HOAR, Marine Corps, retired

TITLE AT MACDILL: Commander-in-chief, Central Command, August 1991 to August 1994.

MOST KNOWN FOR: Mogadishu, Somalia, 18 Special Operations members killed, dozens injured.

WHAT DOING NOW: Consultant.

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