World War II Honoree

Francis J. Yost

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Totowa, New Jersey

Honored By

Family

Relationship

Niece

He enlisted in the Army at Newark, NJ on November 20, 1942 and volunteered for parachutist duty. He was assigned to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment which had been activated a month earlier at Camp Blanding in Starke, FL. The regiment was still filling its ranks and Frank was assigned to Company "I", the last of the nine line companies. He completed the basic training regimen at Camp Blanding and the regiment moved on to jump school at Fort Benning, GA in March, 1943. With that under his belt, Frank went to Camp Mackall, NC for advanced field training and further practice jumps. Then in December 1943 the regiment boarded the USAT James Parker in NY Harbor. Twelve days later they disembarked in Belfast, Ireland where three months of advanced training took place. In March 1944 the unit moved to Nottingham, England where the final phases of preparation for their role in the European theater took place. On the night of June 5, 1944 he joined thousands of other paratroopers boarding aircraft for their flight to Normandy, France. At approximately 2:30 a.m. on the 6th, Frank parachuted into Normandy. He endured continuous days of combat with little let-up. On July 4th, the 508th was in a horrendous battle as they fought to maintain their grip on Hill 30. Although the regiment was successful, he was killed in action that day. Amongst other military decorations he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) for the Normandy, France Campaign, 6 June 1944 to 9 July 1944.