Charles D. Franklin (December 11, 1931 – March 16, 1992) was an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who retired as a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Early life

Charles Dale Franklin was born in

Hugo, Missouri Hugo is an unincorporated community in southern Camden County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The community is located approximately 3.5 miles east-southeast of Camdenton on Missouri Route V, just north of Missouri Route 7 Route 7 i ...

on December 11, 1931, the son of Jewell Franklin and Ethel (Shipman) Franklin. He graduated from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

in 1953 with a degree in agriculture and received his second lieutenant's commission in the

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

through the

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...

Military career

Franklin graduated from the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course in 1953, and then served with the 1st Cavalry Division during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. He completed the Artillery Officer Advanced Course in 1959. In 1962, he graduated from the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

. He graduated from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

in 1970. Franklin's assignments included tours in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

; he commanded first the 116th Attack Helicopter Company, 269th Combat Aviation Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, and later the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division. He served as commander of the 9th Infantry Division Artillery, chief of staff of the 9th Infantry Division, and deputy chief and chief of legislative liaison in the office of the

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

. In 1984 he succeeded

Donald E. Rosenblum Donald Edward Rosenblum (June 3, 1929 – September 6, 2022) was a United States Army Lieutenant General. He is an alumnus of The Citadel (South Carolina), The Citadel, Class of 1951. Military career As a second lieutenant, Rosenblum served duri ...

as commander of the

First United States Army First Army is the largest OC/T organization in the U.S. Army, comprising two divisions, ten brigades, and more than 7,500 Soldiers. Its mission is to partner with the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve to enable leaders and deli ...

Fort Meade, Maryland Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,324 at the 2020 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, United States Cyber Command an ...

. He was succeeded in this post by

James E. Thompson Jr. James Edward Thompson Jr. (October 13, 1935 – June 8, 2017) was a United States Army officer. He attained the rank of Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general and was a commander of the 101st Airborne Division and First United St ...

and retired in 1987.

Awards and decorations

Additional honors

In 1989, Franklin received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Legum Doctor Legum is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Colin Legum (1919–2003), British anti-apartheid activist * Judd Legum (born 1978), American journalist, lawyer, and political staffer * Margaret Legum (1933–2007), Brit ...

from the

Death and burial

Franklin died of heart ailments at Fairfax Hospital in

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church City is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is ...

on March 16, 1992. He was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

, Section 30, Grave 246-RH. Survivors included his wife, Pat and three children, Charles, Debby, and Susan.

References

Sources

Newspapers

* * * *

Internet

* * * *

Books

* *

Magazines

External links

Lt. Gen. Charles D. Franklin Retirement Ceremony
at ''YouTube.com'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Charles D. 1931 births 1992 deaths People from Camden County, Missouri United States Army generals United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War University of Missouri alumni American Master Army Aviators United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel Military personnel from Missouri