Bob Frankenstein
Editor’s Note — In honor of Veterans Day, the Daily Citizen is running a series of stories about veterans. opportunity to reach for world class industrial and technical success."
A Beaver Dam man has spent the last 10 years capturing history and working to make sure veterans are honored.
Bob Frankenstein has collected more than 400 stories from veterans, and said the process takes about three interviews. He also wrote a book on local World War II history, worked to construct a memorial park, a veteran’s museum and a memorial hall.
Frankenstein, a Beaver Dam native, said that his mission to gather veteran’s stories began when he wore his Korean War veteran cap to a Labor Day picnic. Two boys asked him if he "wasn’t ashamed to let people know I was a veteran."
He made compiling the veterans’ stories his call of duty in retirement to help enlighten children about what it means to serve.
"There are some incredible stories here," Frankenstein said.
Frankenstein was featured on the cover of the November issue of "The American Legion" magazine, one of several readers who shared how military service changed their lives.
He wrote, "Basic training taught me teamwork. My military uniform gave me pride. Serving in Korea taught me how to defeat fear. Living in a foreign country taught me tolerance. Orphans of war taught me compassion. Coming home made me thankful. And I live with a lifelong sense that touching Korea with democracy gave its people the
His own military career began when he was 17 and volunteered for the draft, opting to join the Army.
"I went to the draft board and told them to move up my number," Frankenstein said.
He said he was bored with high school and wanted to get out on his own.
He was in basic and advanced training for six months at Fort Leonard Wood, before shipping out to Korea in July 1954 on the USS General Mitchell with more than 4,500 people on board.
His service in Korea began as a member of the 62nd Combat Engineer Battalion. His duty included protecting bridges and building and repairing roads. When that battalion returned to Missouri, he was reassigned to the 84th Engineer Battalion, and then the 44th Engineer Battalion. He helped rebuild a hospital and was working on a lock system when he received orders to return to the United States in November 1955.
His memories from the war range from watching a USO show featuring Debbie Reynolds , serving guard duty alone at night on Christmas Eve in 1954, seeing Korea while serving in the motor pool and watching a fire roar toward his base after fuel lines were sabotaged. Frankenstein remembers food and supply shortages and stripping vehicles down for parts to keep others running.
He returned home on the aircraft carrier USS Windham Bay, which encountered a violent storm as it crossed the Pacific. The crossing took 23 days. Frankenstein served six years in the ready reserves and received an honorable discharge.
Frankenstein’s World War II book not only shared veterans’ experiences, but stories about what life was like in Beaver Dam during the war. Proceeds from the book helped build the veterans center.
Frankenstein has been active as a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and AMVETS.
Any veteran who would like to share his or her story with Frankenstein may contact him at (920) 887-1454. Veterans’ stories may be viewed at the Dodge County Historical Society museum at 105 Park Avenue in Beaver Dam.