World War II Honoree

Franklin L. Randall

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Idaho Falls, Idaho

Honored By

Peggy Lowry

Relationship

Daughter

He was in high school when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He graduated from high school in 1943 and the following year when he was 18 years old, he was drafted into the army. He took his infantry basic training at Camp Fannin, Texas. He volunteered for the paratroops and took Paratroop training at Ft. Benning, Georgia in December, 1944. He took more training at Ft. Benning in communications and demolitions. He was one of the honor guards at Warm Springs, Georgia, when President Roosevelt died. The war in Europe was ending and they were sent to the Pacific. They landed in the Philippine Islands in June and were in training for the invasion of Japan when the atomic bombs ended the war as Japan surrendered. They were then flown to Okinawa and when the surrender was signed, they were among the first troops to enter Japan at Atsugi airfield near Yokohama. He spent a year in Sendi, Japan with the occupation troops. He was discharged in August, 1946 at Ft. Lewis, Washington with a Staff Sergeant rank.