DOB/DOD: April 17, 1985 (Hartford, CT) – August 11, 2011; 26 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Selena P. Oakman (1984-).
CHILDREN: Three children: Del’von (1999-), D’zhanee (2003-), and Dayvontay (2008-).
LOCAL ADDRESS: Winchester Street; Hartford
ENLISTMENT: August 2005
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 11B20; Infantryman
UNIT: Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division; Fort Drum, New York
FAMILY: Born to Edward J. Frank I (1962-) and Sandra Frank Brown (1963-). Twin sister, Evelyn Frank (1985-). Half-sister, Lavetta R. Brown (1991-). Three brothers, Linell Brown (1995-), Daniel Brown (1997-), and Antoine Chambers (-).
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal with device, Army Achievement Medal with device; Army Good Conduct Medal with device, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two devices, Iraq Campaign Medal with three devices, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Service), Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) Medal – Afghanistan, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and the Combat Infantryman Badge (1st award).
CIRCUMSTANCES: Killed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Zhari District, Kandahar, Afghanistan. Also killed in the same incident:
Army Specialist Jameel T. Freeman; Baltimore, Maryland
Army Specialist Patrick L. Lay II; Fletcher, North Carolina
Army Specialist Jordan M. Morris; Stillwater, Oklahoma
Army Private First Class Rueben J. Lopez; Williams, California
From The Journal News (White Plains, NY) on August 15, 2011
LAST MISSION FATAL FOR LOCAL GI
Father Of 3 Dies In Explosion While on Patrol in Afghanistan
YONKERS — Sergeant Edward J. Frank II, who grew up in Yonkers, was killed Thursday while on patrol in Afghanistan. He was 26, married, and the father of a daughter and two sons. Rosemary Alvarez, a family friend, said Frank was due to return home the day before he died. He delayed his departure in order to volunteer for one last mission. “He was always laughing,” Alvarez said. “He was such a good man at heart. Great with kids. He was wonderful.” Frank, known as Jeffrey, was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. He joined the Army nearly six years ago and had twice served in Iraq, earning numerous commendations and achievement medals. He had been in Afghanistan since March of this year, said Julie Cupernall, a spokeswoman at Fort Drum, where Frank and his family lived. Frank and his team were on patrol in the Kandahar province when an improvised explosive device exploded near their vehicle, killing him and four other soldiers. Alvarez met Frank and his wife, Selena, when they were stationed in Germany. Alvarez and her husband, who is in the Army, lived next door to the Franks. The two couples had children around the same age and spent a lot of time together. The Alvarez’s are now stationed at Fort Irwin, Calif., but they stayed in close contact with the Franks. Alvarez said Selena Frank told her she had decorated the house in anticipation of her husband’s arrival. But the knock at her door came from three men in uniform, not her husband. “All they said was, ‘Sorry,’ and she just started screaming,” Alvarez said. “They didn’t have to say anything more.” That visit is something every military family dreads, Alvarez said. She said that when her husband is deployed overseas, she copes by avoiding news reports and trying not to focus on the possibility of that knock on the door. She said Selena Frank flew to Dover Air Force Base, Del., over the weekend to meet her husband’s casket. “She’s holding on,” Alvarez said. “She’s a very strong lady. She cried that first day. The next day, she was laughing, thinking about all the funny things he said. “She’s trying to hold onto those memories instead of holding onto the sorrow.” Also killed in Thursday’s explosion were Specialist Jameel T. Freeman, 26, of Baltimore; Specialist Patrick L. Lay, II, 21, of Fletcher, North Carolina; Specialist Jordan M. Morris, 23, of Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Private First Class. Rueben J. Lopez, 27, of Williams, California.
From The Hartford Courant on August 16, 2011
By David Owens and Laurie Perez
HARTFORD NATIVE KILLED BY BOMB
HARTFORD — A Hartford native was among five soldiers who died in Afghanistan on Thursday when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle. Sergeant Edward J. Frank II, 26, was born in Hartford but grew up and attended schools in New York. His mother recently moved back to Hartford. When he enlisted in the Army, Frank was living in Yonkers, New York. Most recently, he was living in Watertown, New York, near his base at Fort Drum. A Connecticut Army National Guard casualty assistance officer has been working with Frank’s family, said Guard spokesman Colonel John Whitford. Frank, who was known as Jeffrey, and his colleagues were members of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, New York. They were on a breakfast run aboard their MRAP, or mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle, when a massive explosion destroyed the vehicle. All five soldiers on the MRAP were killed, according to an article in the Stars and Stripes newspaper. MRAPs are armored vehicles designed to deflect the force of explosions from bombs planted in or near roads. Frank joined the Army in August 2005 and served twice in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan in March. He is survived by his wife, Selena Frank, three children, and his parents, Edward J. Frank and Sandra Brown. Sandra Brown said her son wanted to be a soldier and loved his job. “This is something he loved to do,” she said Monday afternoon. “He said, Mom, I’m not going to leave anybody behind. This is “Our hearts are heavy, and our sympathies go out to the Frank family,” said Hartford mayor Pedro Segarra, who ordered city flags at half-staff. “This tragedy is such a loss to his family, his extended military family, his community, and his state.” Fellow soldiers assigned to Combat Outpost Nalgham in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan saw the explosion and described a plume of white smoke reaching 200 feet into the air, according to Stars and Stripes. Frank’s awards and decorations include two Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
From The Stars and Stripes on August 20, 2011
By Laura Rauch
Memorial in Afghanistan stirs soldiers’ emotions as they grapple with combat deaths
FOB HOWZ-E-MADAD, Afghanistan – A muted laughter echoed under the canopy as a small band of Company C soldiers gathered on a wooden platform. They talked of small things; unimportant things that made them smile. But as gentle music began to play, a somber realism took hold: The members of Company C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Regiment, part of the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y., were there to remember. They took their seats as the other guests settled in around them. Some bowed their heads in prayer. Others began to quietly weep. A cruel emptiness filled the space as the battalion chaplain, Captain Omari Thompson, read the names of the soldiers being remembered: Sergeant Edward J. Frank II, 26, of Yonkers, New York; Specialist Jameel T. Freeman, 26, of Baltimore; Specialist Patrick L. Lay II, 21, of Fletcher, North Carolina; Specialist Jordan M. Morris, 23, of Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Private First Class Rueben J. Lopez, 27, of Williams, California. The five soldiers, all members of 3rd Platoon’s 1st Squad, were killed on August 11 when their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device near Combat Outpost Nalgham in Kandahar province. Regional Command-South Commander Major General James Terry arrived by Black Hawk helicopter, but there was none of the pomp and circumstance that often accompanies the arrival of a general. He quietly took his seat along with the other guests. While all of the 3rd Platoon was able to attend, most of the company stayed behind in Nalgham, guarding the strong points and fighting positions they have sacrificed so much to hold. “This is a time of war, and in times of war, there is killing and dying,” said the chaplain. “For one thing that cannot happen effectively during war is grieving because this war will not stop to give us that time. “So, the numbness you experience, the callous attitude you may have, your inability to cry like normal people during times of grief is not a burden or a curse that you should be concerned about. It is actually a blessing from God that allows you to continue in this fight. “You are warriors with hearts of steel that have allowed you to fight a brutal war day in and day out. You are not normal people; you are soldiers. American soldiers who go outside the wire and accomplish your mission in spite of the reality that every step, every movement mounted or dismounted could possibly be your last.” One by one, soldiers offered a tribute to the friends they had lost. Concluding his remarks about Sergeant Frank, the voice of a visibly hurt but composed Private First Class Broderick Booker rose. “The true test of man,” Booker said, “is not whether he can stand the times of comfort and convenience, but rather how he responds to the times of hardship and controversy.” Then Company Commander Captain Dennis Call spoke of time marked by battles — “campaigns fought, and comrades lost” — as opposed to the seasons marked by the young soldiers’ civilian counterparts. After the ceremony, Call spoke of the enormous strain of watching friends stolen in their youth and the lasting nature of that pain. “This is a healing wound for the remainder of the deployment,” Call said, “but it will be one that we’ll have to deal with when we get home. The physical pain and scars that guys endure are easier to deal with than the emotional scars.”
Memorialized on the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Memorial, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), 10th Mountain Division Drive north of South Riva Ridge Loop, Fort Drum, New York
Memorialized on the 10th Mountain Division Heroes Walk Memorial; 2011 Marker, 10th Mountain Division Drive north of South Riva Ridge Loop, Fort Drum, New York
*** Burial details, if any, are unknown. ***