Craig S. Frank
Specialist, United States Army
August 6, 1979 – July 17, 2004
Age – 24
Lincoln Park, MI
Operation Iraqi Freedom
1775th Military Police Company, Michigan Army National Guard, Pontiac, MI
Killed when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device near Baghdad, Iraq
The 24-year-old was hit in the back with a rocket-propelled grenade as his unit drove through Beiji as they were escorting a convoy coming from Kuwait.
Frank had returned home in June for a month to be with his father, who was undergoing open-heart surgery. He was in the second extension of duty in Iraq and was scheduled to return to the United States on Aug. 11.
Frank joined the military because he wanted to serve his country and to help pay off student loans. He was studying education at Eastern Michigan University and didn’t want to burden his family with the tuition. He was an avid reader who took 15 books with him when he went to Iraq. Many of his battle buddies would tease him and say they hadn’t read 15 books in their entire lives.
While at home, Frank and five childhood friends — all
Whom had joined the military — took pictures in their uniforms and talked about how proud they were to serve.
This was written by one of his fellow soldiers in early 2009 – “Our company will never forget all the good times and bad times we all had the chance to share and come this August of 2009 we will once again get to share them moments for our reunion! But I know that this reunion is about what means most and that is you Craig! The trials our company had to overcome were many but in the end we all became family and family is what means the most brother! You of all knew that well and showed the rest of the company what family meant. You spent a long time getting to know all of us from Pontiac to Fort McCoy to Camp Champion to Arifjan to Shuaiba to Udari and even stopping by KNB for a swim you knew us all as family! But missions changed and things became more dangerous but even so in the midst you knew family and went back to your home to see our father make it through heart surgery, and that says a lot!!!
You overcame your hardships and returned to the war with your head held high and when I came to pick you up at the Kuwait International Airport I asked if we should get our ladies a teddy bear. You were hesitant but then said sure and so bears we had built! We left smiling and went back to Udari.
The next day HUMMV 32 came back from 3rd shop leaking horrible from the transfer case and needed to go on a convoy. I fought to keep the truck from going but was forced to let it go. I had a feeling it would break down and was pissed to be made to let it go that day. Sure enough it did break down and had to be towed! I tried to make the best of it in my mind thinking that the armor would keep you all safe but low and behold damn fate would have it that being towed a bomb blew up and took your life Craig! 1775th’s hearts were crushed…
What killed me from then to this day was the fact that your girl got that teddy bear we had made the day she found out you were dead… I miss you Craig and pray for your girl and your family and know the kids you would have taught would have been great people just to have known you!!! I will always love you like a brother and will always miss you……”