JACKSONVILLE, Fla — At age 19, he was given an assignment most of us could not even imagine. John Frank, a young sailor, whose first duty station was at NAS Jax, could describe what he saw on Omaha Beach in great detail.
"The smell. It was horrible. To this day every time I think about it, I can still smell it," Frank would say, as he told the story of D-DAY.
He was never trying to brag about how tough his job was -- to pick up body parts on Omaha Beach from the D-DAY invasion. In fact, his family says not until his last year of life did he open up to share his story in detail.
But history teachers all over our First Coast are grateful he did decide to share. Frank would muster up all the energy he could and go to high schools with First Coast News to tell about D-DAY. He was prominently featured in FCN's "Rendezvous With History," an Emmy-award winning TV special honoring the 75th Anniversary of D-DAY.
At every school, the students were mesmerized. Many times they gave Frank a standing ovation. One time a student raised her hand and asked, "What's it feel like to be a hero?"
Frank replied within half a split second. "I am not a hero," he said.
Yet students would crowd around him to get his autograph.
As First Coast News explained to big groups of students -- before the pandemic, of course -- they should appreciate the opportunity to meet a D-DAY veteran. Only a small percent are sill living.
Frank told them, "We were just kids. But we did what we had to do. We had to stop a monster, Hitler."
He would say, "War is hell ... 9,000 men died that day ... But I guess it was worth it because we're free."
Frank's son, John, says his father enjoyed teaching and sharing. Frank's grandson, David, is a teacher at Bartram High. Another grandson, Eric, is Athletic Director at Ponte Vedra High. His entire family, including six children, would rally behind Frank's efforts in his senior years to do activities in the community.
Rest in peace, Mr. Frank.
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