World War II Honoree

Laddie Vernon Frankie

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Warren, Ohio

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Aviation Radioman Third Class. He was inducted into the United States Navy at Cincinnati, Ohio, with recruit training at the U.S. Naval Training Station Great Lakes, Illinois. Upon his graduation from boot camp and Aviation Gunnery/Radio Training, he was transferred to the USS Bunker Hill Aircraft Carrier CV-17 for duty, assigned to Torpedo Squadron One Hundred in the Pacific Theater of Operations. On March 21, 1945 the Seagoing Airbase and her shipmates, along with an armada of U.S. Battleships, Destroyers, Cruisers and other Warships, arrived offshore of Okinawa in support of the impending invasion (Battle Dates: April 1–June 22, 1945. The Carrier on the eleventh of May was attacked by two Imperial Japanese Kamikaze Zero Fighters. The first Pilot crashed into a flight of fully-armed and fueled aircraft waiting for takeoff, and the second pilot crashed into the deck after releasing his ordnance. The attack inflicted a tremendous amount of damage, and the crew began the long battle to save their ship and shipmates. Reported missing in action, lost at sea, on the day of the attack. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the Honolulu National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, ‘Punchbowl’ Hawaii. He received the following decorations posthumously: Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with two Gold Stars and the Purple Heart. The Distinguished Flying Cross awarded for his heroism while participating in an aerial flight combat sortie. The Air Medal was awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight, and the Purple Heart, for his ultimate sacrifice.