Photo By Master Sgt. Robin Brown | Ernest Brooks, vice mayor of Jackson, Tenn., left, presents the proclamation to...... read more read more
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In a small and quiet ceremony, a small park in the middle of downtown Jackson, Tenn., was dedicated in honor of former Tennessee National Guard Maj. Gen. Robert Frankland on December 1.
“The site used to be home to the Frankland building, but it was destroyed by a tornado in 2003,” said Donna Frankland, granddaughter-in-law to the general. The family owned property became General Frankland Park in 2005, but it was never officially dedicated.
During the ceremony, Ernest Brooks, the vice mayor of the city, read a proclamation naming the day in honor of Gen. Frankland and the Soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division that he led into battle during the D-Day Invasion.
“Today, we rise to honor a great man,” said Brooks. “A man who meant so much to so many—who was part of the history and development of Jackson.”
A “great man” and quiet ceremony barely scratches the surface of the history created by Frankland and his Soldiers.
Herbert Alexander, a local historical author, also spoke during the ceremony. He quoted a letter written by one of the General’s Soldiers during the war: “Col. Frankland is always out in front of his men. He is a Soldier’s Soldier.”
Alexander also told of an event that took place in which Frankland killed an entire tank crew with his pistol. The then Lt. Col. Frankland was the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, 117th Infantry and was using a house as an observation post.
“He noticed a tank pull up next to the building and saw two of his men being led out the door with their hands up,” Alexander said. “He pulled out his pistol and shot the two Germans. Then he went after the tank crew, killing all inside.”
“According to one of his men, Frankland not only shot the tank commander, he jumped up on the tank and started blasting away down the hatch with his.45. He got the whole crew,” said John McManus, author of The Americans at Normandy: the Summer of 1944 – The American War from the Normandy Beaches to Falaise.
This incident is also mentioned by Warren Giles on the 30th Infantry website.
“Col. Frankland received orders from Division to hold at all costs because virtually nothing existed past the First Battalion to stop the Germans from advancing directly to the sea,” said Giles.
Frankland joined the 117th Infantry in 1925 and rose through the enlisted ranks. He even spent four years as a first sergeant before being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1930. He was promoted to first lieutenant before being activated to fight the Germans in the 1940s. It was during this time of activation that he would earn the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Star Medals, three Bronze Star Medals, the French Crois de Guerre with palm, the Belgian Fourriege and two Presidential Citations.
“He earned his second Silver Star Medal in 1944 for his actions in Germany,” said Maj. Darrin Haas, historian for the Tennessee National Guard. “His battalion was given the mission of attacking the Siegfried Line for US forces to break-through and penetrate in the Nazi-controlled country.”
Haas then echoed the General’s Soldier in that Frankland was always known for being in the front line with his troops.
“Unmindful of the hazards involved, he personally directed and coordinated the attack by his battalion, storming pillbox after pillbox, until a break-through was made. His personal bravery inspired his Soldiers to give their maximum effort during the difficult mission that ended with a brilliant victory,” read the citation that accompanied his medal.
After serving five years on active duty, he would come back the Tennessee National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was ultimately appointed as Major General of the Line and assigned as the Division Commander of the Tennessee National Guard’s 30th Armored Division in May 1957.
During his time with the Tennessee National Guard, he served in the following campaigns: Northern France, Central Europe, Ardennes and Rhineland. He was a member of the First Methodist Church and the National Guard Association of the United States, as well as the National Guard Association of Tennessee. The General was also very active in his community as a member of the Forrest Critters, Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, VFW and the American Legion.
“Robert Frankland represented everything that was right about the National Guard at mid-twentieth century,” said McManus. “He had risen from private to lieutenant colonel through sheer dedication and determination.”
| Date Taken: | 12.01.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.05.2017 11:14 |
| Story ID: | 257474 |
| Location: | JACKSON, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 223 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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