LASKOWSKY, Franklin

The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, AZ June 5, 1953 Frank Laskowsky Led Daring Raid Wickenburg readers of the Arizona Republic were thrilled when they picked up their paper Wednesday morning and found, right smack on Page One, a feature story by the United Press from the Central Front in Korea. The story started out…”A bank of daring Yanks, left by M/Sgt Frank J. Laskowsky of Wickenburg, Ariz., charged through Chinese burp guns and hand grenades to plant the Confederate flag atop a communist-held hill.” Sgt Laskowsky is the son of John Laskowsky, Sr., and Mrs. H. P. Williams and the brother of John Laskowsky, Jr., of the Walter’s Garage and Mrs. Richard (Clara) Cooke, all of Wickenburg and vicinity. The Republic’s United Press story continued. “A southerner, Cpl. Donald (Lucky) Paccio of Crossett, Ark., rammed the flagpole in the ground. His buddies held off the Reds with rifles, machine guns and flame throwers. “Crawling silently through the night, men of the 15th Infantry of the famous U. S. Third Division carried the flag of the Confederacy dangerously deep into enemy territory. They crouched at the base of a hill until the first light of dawn. Then Laskowsky gave the order to attack. “S/fc Jerry L. Groner, Pueblo, Colo., heaved a grenade and the fight started. Chinese burp guns began chopping up the ground around the Americans. “But the Yankees and the Southerner crept slowly up the hill until the Red defenders pinned them down with grenades. “Cpl. Frank E. Moore, Baraboo, Wis., risked death to lug a bulky flame thrower from one Red bunker to another, shooting fire into tiny doorways where the Chinese hid with their grenades. M/Sgt Thomas J. Veteran, Detroit, Mich., lobbed a grenade into one enemy bunker, and a tremendous explosion knocked him off his feet. The grenade had set off a hidden Red ammunition dump. But Verran picked himself up unhurt. “While the flame thrower was in action, Paccio moved to the top of the hill and planted the Confederate flag on the summit. The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, AZ June 26, 1953, p. 1 Frank Laskowsky Dies Of Wounds The fighting in Korea came tragically home to Wickenburg this week. M/Sgt Frank Laskowsky, wounded in action on the Korean front June 13, died of his wounds five days later. The sad news came in a telegram from the Adjutant General of the Army to Frank’s mother, Mrs. H. P. Williams. No additional details were given. Earlier, Mrs. Williams had received a letter from an army chaplain telling her of the critical wounds inflicted by enemy mortar fire which affected her son’s neck, left upper arm and legs. The family now awaits further information from the army. Mrs. Williams was with her daughter, Mrs Dick (Clara) Cooke, Mr. Cooke, and her son John Laskowsky and family in Oak Creek Canyon Tuesday when the message came from the War Department. R. B. Sullivan of the Santa Fe, Western Union agent here, reached them through the assistance of Highway Patrolman George Pemberton. Frank was born in Prescott and would have been 23 years of age on his next birthday, July 10. He spent most of his life in Wickenburg, went through Elementary School here and then, later enlisted in the Navy with which he served for two years. He then enlisted in the army and spent two winters in Korea before returning to the U.S. and reenlisting for six years. He was soon returned to Korea where he was a member of Company F of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the Third Division. His sister, Mrs. Cooke, recently received the Silver Star, third highest army award for gallantry, awarded to him after he led a small bank in the capture of an enemy-held hill. The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, AZ August 21, 1953, p. 1 A HERO IS BROUGHT TO HIS HOMELAND At sundown Wednesday, the American Legion conducted impressive graveside services for Master Sergeant Franklin Laskowsky, Wickenburg’s hero of the Korean War and the town’s only son to lose his life in that conflict. Within days after he had been commended for leading a raid on the enemy, he was wounded in action in a Korean hospital June 18. The body was returned to the United States on a Navy transport which arrived in San Francisco late in July. It arrived here early Wednesday morning by train and was escorted by M/Sgt Gerald Hughes of the U. S. Army, located at Oakland, Calif. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, services were held at the Wickenburg Chapel, where Dr Charles S. Poling, the pastor of the Presbyterian Church, paid tribute to the fallen youth. Pallbearers Serving as pallbearers at the cemetery were American Legion members James Ross, R. R. Carroll, Lloyd Britton, Tony Boetto, Ben Ortega and Bob Sullivan. Post Commander Harold Henson was assisted by Chaplain Delbert Kirby in conducting the rites; the firing squad and color bearers were under the direction of Bob Livengood while buglers who sounded taps over the grave were Earl Hightower, Jr., and Dean Cooke. The Survivors M/Sgt Laskowsky was the son of Mrs H. P. Williams and John Laskowsky. He is also survived by his sister, Mrs Clara Cooke, and two brothers, John and Carl, both of San Francisco. He was born in Prescott July 13, 1930, but spent most of his youth here, attended the Elementary School. He served a 2-year enlistment in the Navy following which he enlisted in the army and put in two bitter winters in Korea. On his return to this country, he again re-enlisted for a six-year hitch and almost immediately returned to Korea. Among his decorations were the bronze star and the silver star for leading in the raid on a Korean stronghold.