US Navy Commander, CDR Frank Elkins, Vietnam Veteran, Native of Bladenboro, NC.
US Navy Commander Frank Callihan Elkins was a casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Navy, CDR Elkins served our country until October 13, 1966 when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam. He was listed as MIA until he was officially declared KIA on Oct. 10 1977. He was 38 years old and was married. It was reported that Frank died when his plane crashed. His remains were recovered on June 21 1989, identified on February 22 1990. CDR Elkins is on panel 11E, line 068 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 20 years.
Elkins was valedictorian of his high school class and was co-captain of the football team. At UNC, he earned his bachelor's degree in English and was a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor society.
He qualified as a naval aviation officer candidate at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Va., then took pre-flight and basic flight training in Pensacola, Fla.
Elkins had been fascinated with flying from the time he was a child. "That was his dream," his mother once told an interviewer. When he was stationed in Florida, he would fly over Bladenboro whenever he could. "He would dip his wings, roll, spin and dive. I would look up and smile and say, 'There's Frank!' " his mother told the Southeastern Times in Clarkton in 1991. "It was against regulations, but when he was over Bladenboro, he would do it anyway. He did love it so."
It was while he was in Florida that Elkins met and married Marilyn Roberson, who received her doctorate from UNC in 1991. Four months after their wedding in January 1966, Elkins was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany and he went to Vietnam as an A-4 fighter pilot.
On the second day of his cruise, he began a diary of his wartime experiences. His wife said he intended to write a novel when he returned from the war.
The couple spent time together in September 1966 in the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Elkins' plane was shot down weeks later, on Oct. 13, 1966; he was declared missing in action. Elkins reportedly had been maneuvering his aircraft to avoid hostile fire when radio contact with his plane was lost. An explosion was observed, but it was not clear whether this was hostile fire exploding or Elkins' aircraft. No parachute or visual signals were observed, and no emergency radio signals were received. The area in which Elkins became missing also was one where officials believed he might be held by hostile forces.
The diary that Elkins created in Vietnam was sent to his wife shortly after his plane was shot down. "It wasn't supposed to be sent to me," she told the Chapel Hill Newspaper in 1991, explaining that a military censor was supposed to expunge any classified or embarrassing information from personal effects of missing servicemen. She kept the diary believing Elkins would return safely and complete his book. For years, she held hope he was alive, moving to Paris to teach English and living near the Vietnamese Embassy, thinking it would be a logical place to get information about her husband.
She published the diary, titled The Heart of a Man, in 1973. She chose the title from a line in a Robert Frost poem that she and her husband both liked. They both loved English and had talked about becoming college professors one day.
Elkins was declared dead on Oct. 31, 1977. Then, in December 1989, Marilyn Elkins was contacted by the Navy's POW/MIA Affairs division; they wanted to know if she had a copy of her husband's dental X-rays. In January 1990, she was informed that members of a government repatriation team had identified Elkins' remains. The remains were returned to her, and she arranged for a private interment in the National Cemetery in Wilmington.
Frank's remains were identified and his remains are buried at the National Cemetery in Wilmington, NC in 1990. Tom Elkins.
Frank Elkins was a fellow Naval Aviator and squadron-mate from VA-44, the A-4 RAG (training squadron) at NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida. Frank was shot down on 10/13/66 over North Vietnam. He was declared MIA until a Presumptive Finding of Death was issued in October, 1977. His remains were identified and returned to the U.S. in January, 1990. With Frank's widow's (Marilyn) permission, the Naval Institute Press in 1973 published Frank's diary, "The Heart of a Man". This is an excellent and moving testimony to life's values and to Frank's beautiful wife. I believe Marilyn is still residing in California.
Then-Lieutenant Frank Elkins was assigned to Attack Squadron 164 (VA-164) embarked in USS ORISKANY. On October 12, 1966, he was on a strike mission near the city of Tho Trang, about five miles from the coast of Nghe An Province, when his A-4E Skyhawk was hit by a Surface-to-Air missile (SAM). It was not known what happened to Elkins after the crash of his aircraft, and he was classified Missing in Action. In March 1990, the Vietnamese "discovered" the mortal remains of Elkins and returned them to U.S. control. Timothy J. Lynch, [email protected].
I read Frank's book(The Heart of a Man)many years ago and keep that copy to this day. On the few occassions that I've loaned it out, I've always made sure it was returned to me. It should be mandatory reading for all Naval Aviators. I'm sure that his recollections of his experiences and fears would bring back memories to all who have worn Navy Wings. Thank you, Marilyn, for seeing to it that this book was published after his death. Rich Iudice, [email protected].
Next to his wife Marilyn, maybe his best friend. I was with Frank on his very first day in the Navy and on his very last. I'm thinking of those five years of friendship today, Memorial Day,1999. What a heart! Louie Nordbye, 388 Hunt Drive, Savannah,GA 31406, [email protected].
First Cousin on Father's side: Elkins, Frank C, born. 05/25/1939, died. 10/12/1966, CDR USN, Plot: 10 2362-B, buried 03/03/1990, Wilmington National Cemetery, Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, Thomas(Tom)W. Elkins, 2124 Hillock Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612, [email protected].
Fond memories of a childhood friend. August 31, 1999. The Bladen Journal, By: Erin Smith.
Friendship. Just what do the bounds of friendship constitute? How far are we willing to go to honor a friend's memory? Dewey Dove of Bladenboro has pondered that question for nearly twenty years. How could he honor the memory of a childhood friend killed in the war in Vietnam?
On Thursday morning, Dove saw his desire to honor his memories of childhood friend Frank Elkins who was killed in the war come to fruition. He worked diligently to have the NC 211 Bypass named for his friend. Thursday morning, because of Dove's efforts, the road was renamed the Commander Frank C. Elkins Memorial Highway. Dove, who grew up in the vicinity of what is now Northside Church near Bladenboro, grew up playing with Commander Elkins. Dove and Elkins lived four houses away from each other on property where Northside Church now stands. "Behind the Northside Church, that belonged to Frank's daddy," said Dove. "The NC 211 Bypass split the land." Dove recounted many fond memories of growing up with Elkins in the late 1930's and 1940's. "We would play Cowboys and Indians together," said Dove. "I was about four and a half years older than Frank." Dove recounted that Elkins would often play Cowboys and Indians with a knife. "To show you how brave he (Elkins) was, he would show up for a gunfight with a knife," laughed Dove.
Dove also shared a memory that prompted him to work for naming the NC 211 Bypass around Bladenboro after his friend. "I had a tent and sold soft drinks out of it and Frank came up there and got him a couple of drinks," recounted Dove. "He turned around and told me to reach in his back pocket." "I reached my hand in there thinking there was money in it there but there wasn't-I wont tell you what he did have but it wasn't pretty," continued Dove. "I chased him all the way to his house, through the front door, out the back door, and down to the pack house where I caught up to him hiding behind his Momma." "I told him I would get him one day," said Dove.
Dove remembers that once he entered the Army and Frank left to go to college they drifted apart. "He would come home from college and he would get on the tractor and disk the fields," remembers Dove. He recounts that once he learned Frank had become missing, he went to see his mother. "I told his mother about the day I chased him all the way home because of the joke he played on me-she laughed," said Dove. "Later, she told me just how much it meant to her for me to remind her of that day and tell her the whole story of what happened." Elkins attended UNC at Chapel Hill and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He joined the Navy in 1961 and became a pilot. He married Marilyn in January 1966 and was shot down and listed as missing in action in October of 1966. In 1977, Elkins' status was officially listed as killed in action and in January 1990, his remains were positively identified and returned to his family. On Thursday, August 26, Dove finally "got even" with Elkins for that joke he played on him at his soft drink stand. "I got the NC 211 Bypass around Bladenboro named for him," said Dove. "That was my way of getting him back." "That was the kind of friend he was-I thought that much of him," said Dove.
He served with Task Force-77, VA-164 Attack Squadron on the USS Oriskany, 7th Fleet.
He was awarded The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Good Conduct Medal and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters.
US Navy Commander Frank Callihan Elkins was a casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Navy, CDR Elkins served our country until October 13, 1966 when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam. He was listed as MIA until he was officially declared KIA on Oct. 10 1977. He was 38 years old and was married. It was reported that Frank died when his plane crashed. His remains were recovered on June 21 1989, identified on February 22 1990. CDR Elkins is on panel 11E, line 068 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 20 years.
Elkins was valedictorian of his high school class and was co-captain of the football team. At UNC, he earned his bachelor's degree in English and was a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor society.
He qualified as a naval aviation officer candidate at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Va., then took pre-flight and basic flight training in Pensacola, Fla.
Elkins had been fascinated with flying from the time he was a child. "That was his dream," his mother once told an interviewer. When he was stationed in Florida, he would fly over Bladenboro whenever he could. "He would dip his wings, roll, spin and dive. I would look up and smile and say, 'There's Frank!' " his mother told the Southeastern Times in Clarkton in 1991. "It was against regulations, but when he was over Bladenboro, he would do it anyway. He did love it so."
It was while he was in Florida that Elkins met and married Marilyn Roberson, who received her doctorate from UNC in 1991. Four months after their wedding in January 1966, Elkins was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany and he went to Vietnam as an A-4 fighter pilot.
On the second day of his cruise, he began a diary of his wartime experiences. His wife said he intended to write a novel when he returned from the war.
The couple spent time together in September 1966 in the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Elkins' plane was shot down weeks later, on Oct. 13, 1966; he was declared missing in action. Elkins reportedly had been maneuvering his aircraft to avoid hostile fire when radio contact with his plane was lost. An explosion was observed, but it was not clear whether this was hostile fire exploding or Elkins' aircraft. No parachute or visual signals were observed, and no emergency radio signals were received. The area in which Elkins became missing also was one where officials believed he might be held by hostile forces.
The diary that Elkins created in Vietnam was sent to his wife shortly after his plane was shot down. "It wasn't supposed to be sent to me," she told the Chapel Hill Newspaper in 1991, explaining that a military censor was supposed to expunge any classified or embarrassing information from personal effects of missing servicemen. She kept the diary believing Elkins would return safely and complete his book. For years, she held hope he was alive, moving to Paris to teach English and living near the Vietnamese Embassy, thinking it would be a logical place to get information about her husband.
She published the diary, titled The Heart of a Man, in 1973. She chose the title from a line in a Robert Frost poem that she and her husband both liked. They both loved English and had talked about becoming college professors one day.
Elkins was declared dead on Oct. 31, 1977. Then, in December 1989, Marilyn Elkins was contacted by the Navy's POW/MIA Affairs division; they wanted to know if she had a copy of her husband's dental X-rays. In January 1990, she was informed that members of a government repatriation team had identified Elkins' remains. The remains were returned to her, and she arranged for a private interment in the National Cemetery in Wilmington.
Frank's remains were identified and his remains are buried at the National Cemetery in Wilmington, NC in 1990. Tom Elkins.
Frank Elkins was a fellow Naval Aviator and squadron-mate from VA-44, the A-4 RAG (training squadron) at NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida. Frank was shot down on 10/13/66 over North Vietnam. He was declared MIA until a Presumptive Finding of Death was issued in October, 1977. His remains were identified and returned to the U.S. in January, 1990. With Frank's widow's (Marilyn) permission, the Naval Institute Press in 1973 published Frank's diary, "The Heart of a Man". This is an excellent and moving testimony to life's values and to Frank's beautiful wife. I believe Marilyn is still residing in California.
Then-Lieutenant Frank Elkins was assigned to Attack Squadron 164 (VA-164) embarked in USS ORISKANY. On October 12, 1966, he was on a strike mission near the city of Tho Trang, about five miles from the coast of Nghe An Province, when his A-4E Skyhawk was hit by a Surface-to-Air missile (SAM). It was not known what happened to Elkins after the crash of his aircraft, and he was classified Missing in Action. In March 1990, the Vietnamese "discovered" the mortal remains of Elkins and returned them to U.S. control. Timothy J. Lynch, [email protected].
I read Frank's book(The Heart of a Man)many years ago and keep that copy to this day. On the few occassions that I've loaned it out, I've always made sure it was returned to me. It should be mandatory reading for all Naval Aviators. I'm sure that his recollections of his experiences and fears would bring back memories to all who have worn Navy Wings. Thank you, Marilyn, for seeing to it that this book was published after his death. Rich Iudice, [email protected].
Next to his wife Marilyn, maybe his best friend. I was with Frank on his very first day in the Navy and on his very last. I'm thinking of those five years of friendship today, Memorial Day,1999. What a heart! Louie Nordbye, 388 Hunt Drive, Savannah,GA 31406, [email protected].
First Cousin on Father's side: Elkins, Frank C, born. 05/25/1939, died. 10/12/1966, CDR USN, Plot: 10 2362-B, buried 03/03/1990, Wilmington National Cemetery, Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, Thomas(Tom)W. Elkins, 2124 Hillock Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612, [email protected].
Fond memories of a childhood friend. August 31, 1999. The Bladen Journal, By: Erin Smith.
Friendship. Just what do the bounds of friendship constitute? How far are we willing to go to honor a friend's memory? Dewey Dove of Bladenboro has pondered that question for nearly twenty years. How could he honor the memory of a childhood friend killed in the war in Vietnam?
On Thursday morning, Dove saw his desire to honor his memories of childhood friend Frank Elkins who was killed in the war come to fruition. He worked diligently to have the NC 211 Bypass named for his friend. Thursday morning, because of Dove's efforts, the road was renamed the Commander Frank C. Elkins Memorial Highway. Dove, who grew up in the vicinity of what is now Northside Church near Bladenboro, grew up playing with Commander Elkins. Dove and Elkins lived four houses away from each other on property where Northside Church now stands. "Behind the Northside Church, that belonged to Frank's daddy," said Dove. "The NC 211 Bypass split the land." Dove recounted many fond memories of growing up with Elkins in the late 1930's and 1940's. "We would play Cowboys and Indians together," said Dove. "I was about four and a half years older than Frank." Dove recounted that Elkins would often play Cowboys and Indians with a knife. "To show you how brave he (Elkins) was, he would show up for a gunfight with a knife," laughed Dove.
Dove also shared a memory that prompted him to work for naming the NC 211 Bypass around Bladenboro after his friend. "I had a tent and sold soft drinks out of it and Frank came up there and got him a couple of drinks," recounted Dove. "He turned around and told me to reach in his back pocket." "I reached my hand in there thinking there was money in it there but there wasn't-I wont tell you what he did have but it wasn't pretty," continued Dove. "I chased him all the way to his house, through the front door, out the back door, and down to the pack house where I caught up to him hiding behind his Momma." "I told him I would get him one day," said Dove.
Dove remembers that once he entered the Army and Frank left to go to college they drifted apart. "He would come home from college and he would get on the tractor and disk the fields," remembers Dove. He recounts that once he learned Frank had become missing, he went to see his mother. "I told his mother about the day I chased him all the way home because of the joke he played on me-she laughed," said Dove. "Later, she told me just how much it meant to her for me to remind her of that day and tell her the whole story of what happened." Elkins attended UNC at Chapel Hill and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He joined the Navy in 1961 and became a pilot. He married Marilyn in January 1966 and was shot down and listed as missing in action in October of 1966. In 1977, Elkins' status was officially listed as killed in action and in January 1990, his remains were positively identified and returned to his family. On Thursday, August 26, Dove finally "got even" with Elkins for that joke he played on him at his soft drink stand. "I got the NC 211 Bypass around Bladenboro named for him," said Dove. "That was my way of getting him back." "That was the kind of friend he was-I thought that much of him," said Dove.
He served with Task Force-77, VA-164 Attack Squadron on the USS Oriskany, 7th Fleet.
He was awarded The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Good Conduct Medal and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters.
US Navy Commander, CDR Frank Elkins, Vietnam Veteran, Native of Bladenboro, NC.
US Navy Commander Frank Callihan Elkins was a casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Navy, CDR Elkins served our country until October 13, 1966 when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam. He was listed as MIA until he was officially declared KIA on Oct. 10 1977. He was 38 years old and was married. It was reported that Frank died when his plane crashed. His remains were recovered on June 21 1989, identified on February 22 1990. CDR Elkins is on panel 11E, line 068 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 20 years.
Elkins was valedictorian of his high school class and was co-captain of the football team. At UNC, he earned his bachelor's degree in English and was a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor society.
He qualified as a naval aviation officer candidate at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Va., then took pre-flight and basic flight training in Pensacola, Fla.
Elkins had been fascinated with flying from the time he was a child. "That was his dream," his mother once told an interviewer. When he was stationed in Florida, he would fly over Bladenboro whenever he could. "He would dip his wings, roll, spin and dive. I would look up and smile and say, 'There's Frank!' " his mother told the Southeastern Times in Clarkton in 1991. "It was against regulations, but when he was over Bladenboro, he would do it anyway. He did love it so."
It was while he was in Florida that Elkins met and married Marilyn Roberson, who received her doctorate from UNC in 1991. Four months after their wedding in January 1966, Elkins was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany and he went to Vietnam as an A-4 fighter pilot.
On the second day of his cruise, he began a diary of his wartime experiences. His wife said he intended to write a novel when he returned from the war.
The couple spent time together in September 1966 in the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Elkins' plane was shot down weeks later, on Oct. 13, 1966; he was declared missing in action. Elkins reportedly had been maneuvering his aircraft to avoid hostile fire when radio contact with his plane was lost. An explosion was observed, but it was not clear whether this was hostile fire exploding or Elkins' aircraft. No parachute or visual signals were observed, and no emergency radio signals were received. The area in which Elkins became missing also was one where officials believed he might be held by hostile forces.
The diary that Elkins created in Vietnam was sent to his wife shortly after his plane was shot down. "It wasn't supposed to be sent to me," she told the Chapel Hill Newspaper in 1991, explaining that a military censor was supposed to expunge any classified or embarrassing information from personal effects of missing servicemen. She kept the diary believing Elkins would return safely and complete his book. For years, she held hope he was alive, moving to Paris to teach English and living near the Vietnamese Embassy, thinking it would be a logical place to get information about her husband.
She published the diary, titled The Heart of a Man, in 1973. She chose the title from a line in a Robert Frost poem that she and her husband both liked. They both loved English and had talked about becoming college professors one day.
Elkins was declared dead on Oct. 31, 1977. Then, in December 1989, Marilyn Elkins was contacted by the Navy's POW/MIA Affairs division; they wanted to know if she had a copy of her husband's dental X-rays. In January 1990, she was informed that members of a government repatriation team had identified Elkins' remains. The remains were returned to her, and she arranged for a private interment in the National Cemetery in Wilmington.
Frank's remains were identified and his remains are buried at the National Cemetery in Wilmington, NC in 1990. Tom Elkins.
Frank Elkins was a fellow Naval Aviator and squadron-mate from VA-44, the A-4 RAG (training squadron) at NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida. Frank was shot down on 10/13/66 over North Vietnam. He was declared MIA until a Presumptive Finding of Death was issued in October, 1977. His remains were identified and returned to the U.S. in January, 1990. With Frank's widow's (Marilyn) permission, the Naval Institute Press in 1973 published Frank's diary, "The Heart of a Man". This is an excellent and moving testimony to life's values and to Frank's beautiful wife. I believe Marilyn is still residing in California.
Then-Lieutenant Frank Elkins was assigned to Attack Squadron 164 (VA-164) embarked in USS ORISKANY. On October 12, 1966, he was on a strike mission near the city of Tho Trang, about five miles from the coast of Nghe An Province, when his A-4E Skyhawk was hit by a Surface-to-Air missile (SAM). It was not known what happened to Elkins after the crash of his aircraft, and he was classified Missing in Action. In March 1990, the Vietnamese "discovered" the mortal remains of Elkins and returned them to U.S. control. Timothy J. Lynch, [email protected].
I read Frank's book(The Heart of a Man)many years ago and keep that copy to this day. On the few occassions that I've loaned it out, I've always made sure it was returned to me. It should be mandatory reading for all Naval Aviators. I'm sure that his recollections of his experiences and fears would bring back memories to all who have worn Navy Wings. Thank you, Marilyn, for seeing to it that this book was published after his death. Rich Iudice, [email protected].
Next to his wife Marilyn, maybe his best friend. I was with Frank on his very first day in the Navy and on his very last. I'm thinking of those five years of friendship today, Memorial Day,1999. What a heart! Louie Nordbye, 388 Hunt Drive, Savannah,GA 31406, [email protected].
First Cousin on Father's side: Elkins, Frank C, born. 05/25/1939, died. 10/12/1966, CDR USN, Plot: 10 2362-B, buried 03/03/1990, Wilmington National Cemetery, Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, Thomas(Tom)W. Elkins, 2124 Hillock Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612, [email protected].
Fond memories of a childhood friend. August 31, 1999. The Bladen Journal, By: Erin Smith.
Friendship. Just what do the bounds of friendship constitute? How far are we willing to go to honor a friend's memory? Dewey Dove of Bladenboro has pondered that question for nearly twenty years. How could he honor the memory of a childhood friend killed in the war in Vietnam?
On Thursday morning, Dove saw his desire to honor his memories of childhood friend Frank Elkins who was killed in the war come to fruition. He worked diligently to have the NC 211 Bypass named for his friend. Thursday morning, because of Dove's efforts, the road was renamed the Commander Frank C. Elkins Memorial Highway. Dove, who grew up in the vicinity of what is now Northside Church near Bladenboro, grew up playing with Commander Elkins. Dove and Elkins lived four houses away from each other on property where Northside Church now stands. "Behind the Northside Church, that belonged to Frank's daddy," said Dove. "The NC 211 Bypass split the land." Dove recounted many fond memories of growing up with Elkins in the late 1930's and 1940's. "We would play Cowboys and Indians together," said Dove. "I was about four and a half years older than Frank." Dove recounted that Elkins would often play Cowboys and Indians with a knife. "To show you how brave he (Elkins) was, he would show up for a gunfight with a knife," laughed Dove.
Dove also shared a memory that prompted him to work for naming the NC 211 Bypass around Bladenboro after his friend. "I had a tent and sold soft drinks out of it and Frank came up there and got him a couple of drinks," recounted Dove. "He turned around and told me to reach in his back pocket." "I reached my hand in there thinking there was money in it there but there wasn't-I wont tell you what he did have but it wasn't pretty," continued Dove. "I chased him all the way to his house, through the front door, out the back door, and down to the pack house where I caught up to him hiding behind his Momma." "I told him I would get him one day," said Dove.
Dove remembers that once he entered the Army and Frank left to go to college they drifted apart. "He would come home from college and he would get on the tractor and disk the fields," remembers Dove. He recounts that once he learned Frank had become missing, he went to see his mother. "I told his mother about the day I chased him all the way home because of the joke he played on me-she laughed," said Dove. "Later, she told me just how much it meant to her for me to remind her of that day and tell her the whole story of what happened." Elkins attended UNC at Chapel Hill and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He joined the Navy in 1961 and became a pilot. He married Marilyn in January 1966 and was shot down and listed as missing in action in October of 1966. In 1977, Elkins' status was officially listed as killed in action and in January 1990, his remains were positively identified and returned to his family. On Thursday, August 26, Dove finally "got even" with Elkins for that joke he played on him at his soft drink stand. "I got the NC 211 Bypass around Bladenboro named for him," said Dove. "That was my way of getting him back." "That was the kind of friend he was-I thought that much of him," said Dove.
He served with Task Force-77, VA-164 Attack Squadron on the USS Oriskany, 7th Fleet.
He was awarded The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Good Conduct Medal and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters.
US Navy Commander Frank Callihan Elkins was a casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Navy, CDR Elkins served our country until October 13, 1966 when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam. He was listed as MIA until he was officially declared KIA on Oct. 10 1977. He was 38 years old and was married. It was reported that Frank died when his plane crashed. His remains were recovered on June 21 1989, identified on February 22 1990. CDR Elkins is on panel 11E, line 068 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 20 years.
Elkins was valedictorian of his high school class and was co-captain of the football team. At UNC, he earned his bachelor's degree in English and was a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor society.
He qualified as a naval aviation officer candidate at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Va., then took pre-flight and basic flight training in Pensacola, Fla.
Elkins had been fascinated with flying from the time he was a child. "That was his dream," his mother once told an interviewer. When he was stationed in Florida, he would fly over Bladenboro whenever he could. "He would dip his wings, roll, spin and dive. I would look up and smile and say, 'There's Frank!' " his mother told the Southeastern Times in Clarkton in 1991. "It was against regulations, but when he was over Bladenboro, he would do it anyway. He did love it so."
It was while he was in Florida that Elkins met and married Marilyn Roberson, who received her doctorate from UNC in 1991. Four months after their wedding in January 1966, Elkins was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany and he went to Vietnam as an A-4 fighter pilot.
On the second day of his cruise, he began a diary of his wartime experiences. His wife said he intended to write a novel when he returned from the war.
The couple spent time together in September 1966 in the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Elkins' plane was shot down weeks later, on Oct. 13, 1966; he was declared missing in action. Elkins reportedly had been maneuvering his aircraft to avoid hostile fire when radio contact with his plane was lost. An explosion was observed, but it was not clear whether this was hostile fire exploding or Elkins' aircraft. No parachute or visual signals were observed, and no emergency radio signals were received. The area in which Elkins became missing also was one where officials believed he might be held by hostile forces.
The diary that Elkins created in Vietnam was sent to his wife shortly after his plane was shot down. "It wasn't supposed to be sent to me," she told the Chapel Hill Newspaper in 1991, explaining that a military censor was supposed to expunge any classified or embarrassing information from personal effects of missing servicemen. She kept the diary believing Elkins would return safely and complete his book. For years, she held hope he was alive, moving to Paris to teach English and living near the Vietnamese Embassy, thinking it would be a logical place to get information about her husband.
She published the diary, titled The Heart of a Man, in 1973. She chose the title from a line in a Robert Frost poem that she and her husband both liked. They both loved English and had talked about becoming college professors one day.
Elkins was declared dead on Oct. 31, 1977. Then, in December 1989, Marilyn Elkins was contacted by the Navy's POW/MIA Affairs division; they wanted to know if she had a copy of her husband's dental X-rays. In January 1990, she was informed that members of a government repatriation team had identified Elkins' remains. The remains were returned to her, and she arranged for a private interment in the National Cemetery in Wilmington.
Frank's remains were identified and his remains are buried at the National Cemetery in Wilmington, NC in 1990. Tom Elkins.
Frank Elkins was a fellow Naval Aviator and squadron-mate from VA-44, the A-4 RAG (training squadron) at NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida. Frank was shot down on 10/13/66 over North Vietnam. He was declared MIA until a Presumptive Finding of Death was issued in October, 1977. His remains were identified and returned to the U.S. in January, 1990. With Frank's widow's (Marilyn) permission, the Naval Institute Press in 1973 published Frank's diary, "The Heart of a Man". This is an excellent and moving testimony to life's values and to Frank's beautiful wife. I believe Marilyn is still residing in California.
Then-Lieutenant Frank Elkins was assigned to Attack Squadron 164 (VA-164) embarked in USS ORISKANY. On October 12, 1966, he was on a strike mission near the city of Tho Trang, about five miles from the coast of Nghe An Province, when his A-4E Skyhawk was hit by a Surface-to-Air missile (SAM). It was not known what happened to Elkins after the crash of his aircraft, and he was classified Missing in Action. In March 1990, the Vietnamese "discovered" the mortal remains of Elkins and returned them to U.S. control. Timothy J. Lynch, [email protected].
I read Frank's book(The Heart of a Man)many years ago and keep that copy to this day. On the few occassions that I've loaned it out, I've always made sure it was returned to me. It should be mandatory reading for all Naval Aviators. I'm sure that his recollections of his experiences and fears would bring back memories to all who have worn Navy Wings. Thank you, Marilyn, for seeing to it that this book was published after his death. Rich Iudice, [email protected].
Next to his wife Marilyn, maybe his best friend. I was with Frank on his very first day in the Navy and on his very last. I'm thinking of those five years of friendship today, Memorial Day,1999. What a heart! Louie Nordbye, 388 Hunt Drive, Savannah,GA 31406, [email protected].
First Cousin on Father's side: Elkins, Frank C, born. 05/25/1939, died. 10/12/1966, CDR USN, Plot: 10 2362-B, buried 03/03/1990, Wilmington National Cemetery, Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, Thomas(Tom)W. Elkins, 2124 Hillock Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612, [email protected].
Fond memories of a childhood friend. August 31, 1999. The Bladen Journal, By: Erin Smith.
Friendship. Just what do the bounds of friendship constitute? How far are we willing to go to honor a friend's memory? Dewey Dove of Bladenboro has pondered that question for nearly twenty years. How could he honor the memory of a childhood friend killed in the war in Vietnam?
On Thursday morning, Dove saw his desire to honor his memories of childhood friend Frank Elkins who was killed in the war come to fruition. He worked diligently to have the NC 211 Bypass named for his friend. Thursday morning, because of Dove's efforts, the road was renamed the Commander Frank C. Elkins Memorial Highway. Dove, who grew up in the vicinity of what is now Northside Church near Bladenboro, grew up playing with Commander Elkins. Dove and Elkins lived four houses away from each other on property where Northside Church now stands. "Behind the Northside Church, that belonged to Frank's daddy," said Dove. "The NC 211 Bypass split the land." Dove recounted many fond memories of growing up with Elkins in the late 1930's and 1940's. "We would play Cowboys and Indians together," said Dove. "I was about four and a half years older than Frank." Dove recounted that Elkins would often play Cowboys and Indians with a knife. "To show you how brave he (Elkins) was, he would show up for a gunfight with a knife," laughed Dove.
Dove also shared a memory that prompted him to work for naming the NC 211 Bypass around Bladenboro after his friend. "I had a tent and sold soft drinks out of it and Frank came up there and got him a couple of drinks," recounted Dove. "He turned around and told me to reach in his back pocket." "I reached my hand in there thinking there was money in it there but there wasn't-I wont tell you what he did have but it wasn't pretty," continued Dove. "I chased him all the way to his house, through the front door, out the back door, and down to the pack house where I caught up to him hiding behind his Momma." "I told him I would get him one day," said Dove.
Dove remembers that once he entered the Army and Frank left to go to college they drifted apart. "He would come home from college and he would get on the tractor and disk the fields," remembers Dove. He recounts that once he learned Frank had become missing, he went to see his mother. "I told his mother about the day I chased him all the way home because of the joke he played on me-she laughed," said Dove. "Later, she told me just how much it meant to her for me to remind her of that day and tell her the whole story of what happened." Elkins attended UNC at Chapel Hill and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He joined the Navy in 1961 and became a pilot. He married Marilyn in January 1966 and was shot down and listed as missing in action in October of 1966. In 1977, Elkins' status was officially listed as killed in action and in January 1990, his remains were positively identified and returned to his family. On Thursday, August 26, Dove finally "got even" with Elkins for that joke he played on him at his soft drink stand. "I got the NC 211 Bypass around Bladenboro named for him," said Dove. "That was my way of getting him back." "That was the kind of friend he was-I thought that much of him," said Dove.
He served with Task Force-77, VA-164 Attack Squadron on the USS Oriskany, 7th Fleet.
He was awarded The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Good Conduct Medal and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters.
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