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Rocky FronkPictured InI1ife MagazineuBe from Slate S. D retutMrThe Spirit Lake friends and relatives of T/Sgt. Rocky Fronk were'Char more than interested in the July 31 issue of the Life Magazine, as it carried pictures and stories of the activities and experiences of the Rangers, of which Rocky was a member. On. the title page of the Life story appears a picture of a group of Rangers, of which Rocky is included, being the youth on, the right in the second row. Rocky was a member of the 4th battalion, of the Rangers, and was twice wounded in action, wearing the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster.Arlo Fox of Spirit Lake was a member of the 3rd battalion and is now a prisoner -of war, having been captured by the Germans in Italy.Sgt. Fronk is now at Camp But-ner, N. C„ and is hoping to be able to pass the physical examinations to entitle him to serve his country again, in action overseas.The following story of the Rangers appeared in the Life Magazine:The survivors of the First, Third and Fourth Ranger Batallions are home. These men have exposed themselves to danger in more actions, with higher casualties, per- pairshaps also with greater fierceness of spirit, than any other American Army units.The original Rangers were assembled on June 19, 1942 from volunteers among U, S troops then in the British Isles, The force was chosen from among the finest physical specimens in the American Army and from its most colorful, it boasted two professional boxers, an oil-field “roughneck from Tex-their man wher wrot he wis er appllt;friedThSundPaulstronrecorattenhodnounMan3tendwhofrom.Mr been in th soldof tlweekSloaiArp,GuigtownthisJo;Prayby isingehurMrbertrencinerrenC'as, a hotel “dick, a lion tamex-, aj Miof IV ing sen Am;M:ingconfnowaboxAimancoinSioilongshoreman, a church deacon, a radio crooner, a jazz trumpeter, the treasurer of a burlesque theater, a sherifF, an insurance salesman who later did a lively business on the field of battle, two bigamists and a Red Indian named Sampson P. Oneskunk,A handful of rangers saw action at Dieppe. After that the outfit spearheaded every major American action in the Mediterranean theater, through Anzio. Some Ranger companies are now experiencing I Cris their firt action and carrying on [ whi the Ranger tradition in Normandy.Losses among the original Rangers' were appalling. Of about1,500 men who started in the three battalions, there are only 199 alive and returned home. Of the I9D sur-vivors, 64 wear the Purple Heart for injuries they suffered overseas.In short, less than one-tenth of the original force came through intact. What with a number of men who have been transferred to other units, a number who are hospitalized '* with wouiids and disease, the Rangers were able to assemble only '97 survivors for the picture above. When Rangers see each other after-long separation they do not just say: “Hello. They say How come you're still alive?iffandredsnorldupStol on in i V. ofOfarHisclin:TDSiaentWeiMr:Cit
Newspaper Details
Spirit Lake Beacon
Spirit Lake, Iowa, US
Thu, Aug 03, 1944
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Julie B.
ME, USA 16 Jun 2017
Other Publications Near Spirit Lake, Iowa
Arnolds Park News
Spirit Lake Beacon
Standard Atlas of Dickinson County Iowa
