NO. 17656 • 11 July 1928 – 18 July 2012
Died in Pensacola, FL, aged 84 years
Col. Joseph Ross Franklin, PhD, USA (Ret), 84, of Pensacola, FL, died Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at home. Col. Franklin was born July 11, 1928 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended and graduated from U. S. Military Academy at West Point in 1950. Col. Franklin served in Korea, where he was wounded, and three tours of duty in Vietnam. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star and Purple Heart, retiring from the U. S. Army after thirty years of service. Col. Franklin received his PhD in Foreign Relations from the American University. He was a member of the Legion of Valor and an active member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Franklin of Pensacola; son, Daniel Franklin of Pensacola; daughter, Jennifer Kellen and husband Joel of Corpus Christi, TX; granddaughter, Emmalee Noel Gough and sister, Dianne Payne.
Inurnment will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 03, 2012 at Barrancas National Cemetery with full military honors. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made for Masses at Holy Spirit Catholic Church for our wounded veterans and active duty men and women.
He received the Distinguished Service Cross because of his extraordinary heroism in Korea on the night of 6 July 1952. His platoon, occupying an outpost on a tactically important ridge, was subjected to an intense artillery and mortar bombardment immediately followed by a smashing hostile attack. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Lieutenant Franklin moved from position to position through heavy fire, encouraging his men and directing their efforts as they fought to hold back the charging enemy waves. Learning that the perimeter had been breached and that a number of enemy were in the outpost, he led a bayonet charge against the hostile troops. When the automatic rifles used by one of his men refused to function, he gave his carbine to the automatic rifleman, continuing to engage in the struggle with his pistol and grenades. As he led his men against the enemy, a hostile grenade hit him in the shoulder. Before the missile exploded, he pushed two comrades to the ground, enabling them to escape injury or death. When the first two friendly counterattacks failed to dislodge the foe, Lieutenant Franklin organized and led a third charge. Aggressively continuing to advance, even after the ammunition for his pistol had been expended, he killed three of the enemy with accurately hurled grenades. Under his leadership, his men succeeded in driving the hostile troops from the outpost and retained control of the tactically important position. The extraordinary heroism exhibited by Lieutenant Franklin throughout this action reflects great credit on himself and upholds the esteemed traditions of the military service.
During his US Army career he has received 13 individual valor awards from the US Army and 5 from the government of Vietnam. He is the most decorated officer in his West Point class of 1950, receiving every award for valor awarded by the US Army except one. He commanded every unit from a Ranger platoon of 25 men to an airborne brigade of 7,000 men in 48 months of combat in two wars. He was wounded twice. In Vietnam, COL Franklin served as Battalion Commander of the 1/505 PIR 82nd Airborne Division, followed by assignments as 173rd Airborne Brigade Deputy Commander and SOG Deputy Chief. He is airborne and ranger qualified, as well as being a rated Army aviator. He was the deputy of the Peers Commission who investigated the My Lai massacre and was responsible for writing the report that went to the President of the United States and other senior officials.
In the book of Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hirsh, COVER UP, about the Peers Commission Hirsh writes that General Peers called Colonel Franklin, “the most qualified officer in the United States Army for the job”, in testimony before a secret sub committee session of Congress. Franklin was given less than 12 hours to leave the Congo (Brazzaville), a communist oriented country, when the Prime Minister complained to the US ambassador about his alleged activities attempting to bring down the government. He is a member of the Legion of Valor, an organization of those who hold one of the two highest US awards for valor. He was a student at the French War College (Ecole Superiure de Guerre) in Paris for two years. This school is essential in the French Army to become a general. He was featured in a newspaper article for a charitable project he worked on in the mid ’80’s.
Col Franklin, PhD (doctorate in African studies) lived in a Roman Catholic Monastery for seven years, 1995-2002. His principle duty in the monastery was raising funds through various business ventures for charitable purpose. He professed poverty, obedience and chastity in the monastery. He was a principal in a 60 Minutes documentary TV program where he was a protagonist against a senior officer he had relieved in combat who falsely accused him of war crimes. It was the longest segment produced to that time and won the Emmy award that year. CBS was sued for 60 million USD as a result of this program and Franklin was their principle witness. CBS won the suit, after an evidentiary dispute went to the US Supreme Court.
Citations
Distinguished Service Cross
Awarded for actions during the Korean War
The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Joseph Ross Franklin (ASN: 0-62893), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as Platoon Leader with an Infantry Company of the 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. First Lieutenant Franklin distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Sangwan-ni, Korea, on 6 July 1952. Late on that night, Lieutenant Franklin’s platoon, occupying an outpost position on a tactically important ridge, was subjected to an intense artillery and mortar bombardment immediately followed by a smashing hostile attack. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Lieutenant Franklin moved from position to position through heavy fire, encouraging his men and directing their efforts as they fought to hold back the charging enemy waves. Learning that the perimeter had been breached and that a number of the enemy were in the outpost, he led a bayonet charge against the hostile troops. When the automatic rifle used by one of his men refused to function, he gave his carbine to the automatic rifleman, continuing to engage in the struggle with his pistol and grenades. As he led his men against the enemy, a hostile grenade hit him in the shoulder. Before the missile exploded, he pushed two comrades to the ground, enabling them to escape injury or death. When the first two friendly counterattacks failed to dislodge the foe, Lieutenant Franklin organized and led a third charge. Aggressively continuing to advance, even after the ammunition for his pistol had been expended, he killed three of the enemy with accurately hurled grenades. Under his leadership, his men succeeded in driving the hostile troops from the outpost and retained control of the tactically important position. The extraordinary heroism exhibited by Lieutenant Franklin throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself and upholds the esteemed traditions of the military service.
General Orders: Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 141 (January 24, 1953)
Action Date: 6-Jul-52
Rank: First Lieutenant
Company: Infantry Company
Regiment: 7th Infantry Regiment
Division: 3d Infantry Division
Silver Star
Awarded for actions during the Vietnam War
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Colonel (Infantry) Joseph Ross Franklin (ASN: 0-62893), United States Army, for gallantry in action on 25 May 1972, while serving as Senior Advisor, 21st Infantry Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam. On this date during the campaign to clear Highway 13 to relieve An Loc, Colonel Franklin, on one of his frequent visits to the area of greatest enemy resistance, moved to the 1st Battalion, 32d Regiment. The battalion was the lead element facing two NVA battalions and was under intense automatic weapons, B-40 wire-guided missile, 122-mm. rocket and 120-mm mortar fire when he arrived. A rocket struck ten feet from him wounding the battalion advisor who had been directing air strikes against the enemy. Colonel Franklin without regard for his own safety under fire moved immediately to render first aid to the advisor until an ARVN medic arrived. He then took over direction of Air Strikes, remaining in an exposed position to best observe the nearby enemy fortifications and direct the strikes. After requesting a helicopter to evacuate the wounded advisor, he selected a landing zone and guided the helicopter’s approach. A few seconds after the aircraft touched down an enemy mortar impacted 15 feet from it. Remaining on the landing zone, exposed to the enemy fire, Colonel Franklin attempted to load a stretcher bearing an ARVN soldier onto the helicopter while it was ascending. As the aircraft rose from the landing zone, the helpless wounded ARVN soldier fell from the helicopter and would have been re-injured but Colonel Franklin caught him breaking his fall. He then moved the wounded soldier to a more secure area while intense mortar and rocket fire continued. Colonel Franklin’s conspicuous gallantry in action was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflects great credit upon himself and the military service.
General Orders: Headquarters, III Regional Assistance Command, General Orders No. 120 (June 4, 1972)
Action Date: 25-May-72
Service: Army
Rank: Colonel
Company: Advisory Team 51
Division: IV Corps
Soldier’s Medal
Awarded for actions during the Vietnam War
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier’s Medal to Colonel (Infantry) Joseph Ross Franklin (ASN: 0-62893), United States Army, for heroism at the risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy. Colonel Franklin distinguished himself by heroic action on 16 April 1972, while serving as Senior Advisor, Advisory Team 51, United States Military Assistance Command, Republic of Vietnam. On this date, at approximately 1245 hours, an enemy 122-mm. rocket hit the Lai Khe ammunition dump containing seven hundred tons of artillery ammunition resulting in continuous series of up to 80 explosions per minute for several hours of 155-mm. shells which were hurled over 1,000 meters. Realizing the essentiality of preserving the POL point located 100 meters from the ammunition dump and vitally needed for relief of An Loc and support of friendly troops engaged against elements of three North Vietnamese Army divisions, Colonel Franklin voluntarily led a PA&E fire truck to the POL point despite the constantly exploding shells and fragments. Placing himself several feet between 100,000 gallons of POL behind a parapet he watched with fire fighting equipment for burning fragments around the POL. He was continually showered by shell fragments which covered the ground for literally thousands of square feet. Despite the imminent danger of one of the fragments or shells hitting the POL tanks which could have resulted in his being instantly incinerated, Colonel Franklin continued his fire watch until the explosion subsided and he was replaced by ARVN soldiers. Under fire resembling a heavy artillery concentration for several hours, Colonel Franklin’s heroic actions at great risk of loss of his own life helped preserve a vital POL point at a critical time in the battle for An Loc and contributed significantly to the results achieved. Colonel Franklin’s heroic actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
General Orders: Headquarters, III Regional Assistance Command, General Orders (July 8, 1972)
Action Date: 16-Apr-72
Service: Army
Rank: Colonel
Company: Advisory Team 51
- This memorial first appeared on the 82nd Airborne Division (Vietnam) Golden Brigade website at http://yorkovich.net/gbc/?p=227