Duty, Friends and Family
By Katie Frohling
Joseph Frank
June 19, 1924- April 28, 2017
The youngest of five siblings, Joseph Frank was born on June 19, 1924[1] in Brooklyn, New York. His parents, Rose and Samuel Frank, immigrated to the United States from Kiev, Russia and met while they were living in Brooklyn. Samuel, who worked in the restaurant supply business, left his family after he and Rose got divorced. As a result, Joe, who was very young when his parents separated, never knew his father and was exceptionally close to his mother. Rose was only sixteen years old when she came to the United States but she adapted quickly to life in New York, hosting and attending parties. After she and Samuel were divorced, Rose worked hard as a seamstress to support her family.[2]
Since he was the baby of the family, Joe spent a lot of time either alone or with other neighborhood kids, playing typical games like stickball. During the summer, the Franks would go to their house in the Catskills and relax among family. Since their parents were Jewish, Joe and his siblings, would go to temple. When he was older, Joe attended public school in Brooklyn, which is where he first received introductory training courses for the military. In the middle of World War II, it is not surprising that military recruiting was accomplished through public high schools. After graduating from Lafayette High School in January of 1943,[3] Joe was suddenly immersed in the Navy. Although there is some conflicting information on whether Joe enlisted or was drafted, Joe took this responsibility to enter the Navy before his eighteenth birthday, on February 2, 1943. His mentality going forward was that he was simply fulfilling his duty by entering the Navy.
Beginning his military career, Joe underwent some training in both New York and Illinois. During this time, Joe recalled being assigned to various boats and ships and being utterly confused. Apparently everyone there was just as lost as he was, which was accurately representative of their few months of training. While in the Navy, Joe was a RM1, or a Radioman. After learning Morse code, he would then use that to decode and relay messages back and forth between major Navy fleets. Essentially, Joe was responsible for being the main communicator during combat. Once in active duty, Joe was assigned to various ships, most happened to be PT boats. These smaller boats, marked with white stars, were integrated into the U.S. Navy to help protect coastal waters, while also assisting other fleets on their missions. John F. Kennedy once said, “PT boats filled an important need in World War II in shallow waters, completing the achievements of greater ships in greater seas. This need for small, fast, versatile, strongly armed vessels does not wane.”[4] Although being assigned to several ships, Joe had his most memorable Navy experiences on PT-505.
On June 7, 1944, the day after D-Day, PT-505 was in patrol off the coast of Utah Beach. Chasing what looked like a German U-boat submarine, PT-505 and its crew followed in the water near St. Marcouf Island, Normandy, France. Just as the crew’s captain was going to call command, PT-505 ran over an underwater mine, resulting in a massive explosion. Two crew members were immediately injured and virtually every part of the ship had some damage. After unloading the sinking ship with any unnecessary weight, PT-505 waited for a tow. Though the ship looked like it would certainly sink, Lieutenant William C. Godfrey, two officers and Joe Frank remained onboard the PT-505 overnight. Once another Navy ship could assist them, PT-505 was towed onto the D-Day invasion beach, where the low tide gave the crew enough time to temporarily fix the ship, writing “PORTLAND OR BUST” on the side. Then on June 11, 1944 PT-500 towed PT-505 back to Portland, England to receive necessary repairs before becoming a training boat. Joe then went along with LT Godfrey back to the South Pacific to serve on PT-108 together. On PT-108 the crew was attempting to cut off the supply of materials to Japanese troops. [5]
The PT-50 Sinking.
Joe made a lot of good friends in the Navy. These buddies, coming from all over America, were a major part of Joe’s experience and enjoyment while in service. He also retained communication with his mother, Rose, sending her letters and payment allotments. This was surely a way to stay connected to his home in New York while also assuring her that he was safe and doing well.[6]
Once Joe separated from the Navy on January 27, 1946, he returned home to Brooklyn before attending Miami University in Ohio. Soon, Joe had a job offer working at Rollman’s Department Store in Cincinnati as a hosiery buyer. He worked there until he was recruited to work for the May Department Stores Company, later Macy’s, in Los Angeles, California, also as a hosiery buyer. Around 1955, while at a business dinner for young executives, Joe met Teddy, a young “head of stock” associate for the May Company. After a year and a half of dating, the pair got married in 1957 in Las Vegas. Only a year later the two welcomed their first child, Mike. Then, a few years later, their daughter Karen was born, while the family was living in Sherman Oaks, California. After roughly eight years of marriage, Teddy and Joe eventually divorced, while both kids were relatively young.[7] Although he no longer lived in the same house as his children, Joe was determined to be a constant and present father, regularly involved with his children and their activities. One example of this determination for quality time was when he made the decision to stop taking his own children to temple. Unfortunately, temple and its activities were on Sundays, which also happened to be Karen and Mike’s day with their dad. Instead, the kids played sports in the park with Joe.
While he was still living in California,[8] Joe was recruited for a sales representative position for a baby furniture so he left the May Company after approximately 25 years. Karen remembers tagging along on some of her dad’s business meetings, which were often nice dinners set in Hollywood. Before he was sixty years old, Joe retired, travelling a bit. It was during his retirement that Joe really became attached to his routine, inherited from his time in the Navy. He would head to Solley’s Deli to see friends or go to the community center where there was weekly ballroom dancing. Even if he only had his few favorite spots around town, it was clear that Joe was a regular at those places and a joy to those who interacted with him. Then, in 2002 Karen and her family brought Joe out to live with them in Colorado. It was there that their family began to realize what they meant to Joe. It was evident that his biggest accomplishment was his children and his grandchildren, once again, always asking about their activities and lives. When asked about Joe’s best quality, Karen responded, “He was always there for us…I always knew he was in our corner.”[9] Jake, one of Joe’s grandsons, recalls, “He was always so light-hearted – with a great sense of humor.” That sense of humor seemed to follow Joe, a notorious flirt, an identity he never grew out of.[10]
In terms of his veteran status, Joe was a subscriber to the PT Boater magazine and calendar – a small act to stay connected to his branch. He was also very politically aware, watching the news and going to the community center for discussions on current events. Joe always made it known that he respected the military and servicemen, regardless of the social or political pushback surrounding war. Then, when he was no longer comfortable, his family moved him to Fitzsimmons VA Retirement Home. It was here that he was finally awarded his deserved medals, in a “better late than never” fashion. Denny White, who “adopted” Joe at Fitzsimmons, helped coordinate a ceremony to honor Joe and celebrate his accomplishments with his family and those around him at the retirement home. Here he received the American Area Ribbon, the European-African-Middle Eastern Area Service Ribbon with one star, the Asiatic-Pacific Ribbon, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one star. Though it was long overdue, Joe and his family were happy to celebrate all his military achievements.[11]
Though he only served for a few years, Joe’s family was sure he had some long-lasting connection to the military, hence he was buried at Fort Logan after he died on April 28, 2017.[12] Karen realized that, with time to reflect on his life, Joe always referred to stories of his time in the Navy and the people he met there. Despite not talking about these experiences much when his children were younger, it was clear to his family that the Navy meant more to Joe than even he would ever let on. By being buried at Fort Logan, Joe could still be close to his family in Colorado, the family he impacted so much.
Footnotes ↓
[1] “New York, New York, Birth Index 1910-1965” database, Ancestry.com. Accessed August 12, 2018, entry for Joseph Frank.
[2] Karen Frank-Pemberton, interview by Katie Frohling, July 22, 2018, DU VLP.
[3] Karen Frank-Pemberton, interview by Katie Frohling, July 22, 2018, DU VLP.
[4] "John F. Kennedy and PT 109." John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Accessed August 15, 2018. https://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/John-F-Kennedy-and-PT109.aspx.
[5] "NavSource Online: Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive." Aircraft Carrier Photo Index: UNITED STATES (CVA-58). Accessed August 17, 2018. http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/05505.htm.
[6] Karen Frank-Pemberton, interview by Katie Frohling, July 22, 2018, DU VLP.
[7] Karen Frank-Pemberton, interview by Katie Frohling, July 22, 2018, DU VLP.
[8] “U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993” database, Ancestry.com. Accessed August 15, 2018. Entry for Joseph Frank.
[9] Karen Frank-Pemberton, interview by Katie Frohling, July 22, 2018, DU VLP.
[10] Jake Pemberton, interview by Katie Frohling, July 22, 2018, DU VLP.
[11] Karen Frank-Pemberton, interview by Katie Frohling, July 22, 2018, DU VLP.
[12] National Cemetery Administration. "National Cemetery Administration." Nationwide Gravesite Locator. Accessed August 14, 2018. https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/index.html?cemetery=N888.
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