Leo Joseph Franklin
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
Photo 1: Mr. Franklin aboard the Edward P. Ripley 1944 “someplace in the South Pacific.” ________
Leo Joseph Franklin served in World War II in the South Pacific and in the Vietnam War. He served in the Merchant Marine, a wartime auxiliary of the U.S. Navy. He joined in 1944 when he was sixteen.
He was assigned to the Liberty Ship Edward P. Ripley. He and his crew traveled all over the world, including the Philippines, Saipan, Guam, and England and Australia, delivering food and ammunition to service members, including physicians and nurses.
His rank was Able Bodied Seaman.
Mr. Franklin was born in 1928, the son of Barney and Susan Franklin.
Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall veteran history form; veterans’ account (below)
“I was living with foster parents when World War II was declared. I asked my foster mother to sign for me to enter the Army, but she told me I was not old enough. I needed to be seventeen years. But the Merchant Marine would accept me at the age of sixteen years. So I joined and went to many countries to deliver the goods for our many men, nurses, and doctors—food, ammunition. “Thank you, thank you, the trip to Washington, D.C., on the Honor Flight was the highlight of my life, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
