Joseph Powel Franklin

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Les Knotts on April 13, 2017:

General Franklin is well-loved. When he was our Commandant of Cadets, he advised and guided me with perpetual wisdom and that ever-present smile. Joe Franklin remembered me and called me by name, as I suppose he did for many hundreds of friends and colleagues. That simple recognition did a much to encourage me. Typical of our relationship is this account: Having returned to West Point as a rotating professor, I served on the AOG Publications Committee. I was at the podium during a business meeting discussing the way forward for the the AOG magazine, and a small portion of Old Grads in the auditorium became hostile. I was a youngish captain, but I felt confident that I could handle the angry speaker(s) and reduce the tension. As I was about to practice my rhetorical skill in the nae of conflict resolution, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. MG Franklin, now retired, gently eased beside me, assumed central position in the beaten zone, and covered for me as I made the tacitly invoked tactical withdrawal. With skill and diplomacy, he eased the group back into focus. He could have let me grow some character through adversity, but chose to deftly work the situation, and to look after me yet again. I admired him. Les Knotts USMA '82

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