Henry "Hank" Franken, age 91, died Friday, November 9, 2007, at the Hendricks Hospital, Hendricks, Minnesota.
Henry "Hank" Franken was born October 28, 1916, to George and Tina (Walters) Franken in Littlerock, Iowa. His family moved to South Dakota when he was three years of age. He went to school until the 8th grade.
He went into the US Army Air Forces on October 28, 1941, and was discharged January 1946 with rank of Private First Class.
He married Irene Hulsebus on February 19, 1944. They lived on a farm northeast of White.
Hank and Irene retired in 1978 and moved into White. Hank entered the White Healthcare Center in February 2007. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in White. In his earlier years he enjoyed farming, playing cards, and going to ballgames.
Hank is lovingly remembered by his wife, Irene Franken, of White; children: Judy (Clayton) Vlasak of Montgomery, Minnesota, and Eunice (Clarence) Simmons of White; five grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; one great-great- grandchild; a sister, Gertrude Odegaard of Mitchell, South Dakota; and a brother, Elmer Franken of Madison, South Dakota.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Matt and Jack; and 5 sisters: Grace, Ethel, Ellie, Alice and Anna May.
In the U.S. Army Air Forces (the predecessor to the modern U.S. Air Force), Private First Class (PFC) was the third-lowest enlisted rank, directly above Private (PV2) and below Specialist (E-4) Military-Ranks.org. While the U.S. Air Force today uses the same rank name, the Army Air Forces designation reflects its historical role as the air component of the Army.
Responsibilities
At the PFC level, soldiers:
Carry out all assigned tasks and orders to the best of their ability.
Often take on more complex duties, such as operating advanced weapons systems (e.g., machine guns)
Begin to develop leadership skills, preparing for advancement to Specialist or Corporal
Information retrieved from MSN CoPilot, April 9, 2026.
