Individual Details
Dwight Glenn Frakes
(8 May 1931 - 24 Feb 1965)
From the Long Beach California newspaper Independent, Feb. 25, 1965, Thursday, Page A-10: Air Crewman Killed. San Diego (UPS)--- Chief Radioman Dwight G. Frakes of Los Angeles was killed but three others were rescued when their A3B Skywarrior attack bomber crashed in the western Pacific soon after takeoff from the carrier Coral Sea, the Navy reported Wednesday.
From the Fresno Bee Republican, Fresno, California, Thursday, Feb. 25, 1965, Front Page, Center: Fresnan's Son Dies in Viet Air War Mishap. Mrs. Lydia G. Elliott of 2502 North West Avenue has received word that her son, Dwight Glenn Frakes, 33, a navy chief radioman, was killed yesterday in an air craft accident at sea near Viet Nam. Frakes, who has been in the navy for 16 years, was stationed aboard the aircraft carrier Coral Sea and had been in Viet Nam since early January.
By Telegram. Mrs. Elliott received a telegram notifying her that her son was missing, followed within a few hours by a wire informing her that he "now has been reported to have died." The telegram, signed by Vice Admiral B. J. Semmes, Jr., chief of naval personnel in Wasington, D. C., described the circumstances of his death as follows: " He was a crew member on an operational flight when a malfunction of the fuel transfer system necessitated that all personnel aboard bail out. All crew members were observed descending by parachute and three crew members were rescued. "The top portion of your son's parachute was seen descending in the water, and a crewman entered the water in a rescue attempt, but the parachute sank from sight."
Extended Search. The telegram said helicopters and service units conducted an "extended search" but failed to recover Frakes' body. Frakes, who visited his mother in Fresno in November, also leaves his widow, Matsue, and a son, Steven Anthony, 5, of Oakland and his father Dwight Frakes, who lives in Southern California.
From the Fresno Bee Republican, Fresno, California, Thursday, Feb. 25, 1965, Front Page, Center: Fresnan's Son Dies in Viet Air War Mishap. Mrs. Lydia G. Elliott of 2502 North West Avenue has received word that her son, Dwight Glenn Frakes, 33, a navy chief radioman, was killed yesterday in an air craft accident at sea near Viet Nam. Frakes, who has been in the navy for 16 years, was stationed aboard the aircraft carrier Coral Sea and had been in Viet Nam since early January.
By Telegram. Mrs. Elliott received a telegram notifying her that her son was missing, followed within a few hours by a wire informing her that he "now has been reported to have died." The telegram, signed by Vice Admiral B. J. Semmes, Jr., chief of naval personnel in Wasington, D. C., described the circumstances of his death as follows: " He was a crew member on an operational flight when a malfunction of the fuel transfer system necessitated that all personnel aboard bail out. All crew members were observed descending by parachute and three crew members were rescued. "The top portion of your son's parachute was seen descending in the water, and a crewman entered the water in a rescue attempt, but the parachute sank from sight."
Extended Search. The telegram said helicopters and service units conducted an "extended search" but failed to recover Frakes' body. Frakes, who visited his mother in Fresno in November, also leaves his widow, Matsue, and a son, Steven Anthony, 5, of Oakland and his father Dwight Frakes, who lives in Southern California.
Events
| Birth | 8 May 1931 | Los Angeles Co., California |  | ||
| Marriage | Abt 1958 | Matsue ??? | | ||
| Death | 24 Feb 1965 | Republic of South Vietnam | | ||
| Burial | Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, San Mateo Co., California | |
Families
| Spouse | Matsue ??? ( - ) |
| Child | Steven Anthony Frakes (1960 - ) |
| Father | Dwight Locke Frakes (1904 - 1986) |
| Mother | Lydia U. Burns (1910 - 1986) |
| Sibling | Beverly Jean Frakes (1932 - ) |
Endnotes
2. Funeral card of Roscoe Alfred Kirkpatrick.
3. Fresno Bee Republican, Obituary of Dwight Glenn Frakes (n.p: Thursday, Feb. 25, 1965, Front Page, Center, n.d), Fresno Bee Republican, Fresno, California, Thursday, February 25, 1965, Front Page, Center.
4. Fresno Bee Republican, Obituary of Dwight Glenn Frakes (n.p: Thursday, Feb. 25, 1965, Front Page, Center, n.d), Fresno Bee Republican, Fresno, California, Thursday, February 25, 1965, Front Page, Center.