This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Eugene Claude Ipox, Jr., TM1
to remember
Caulfield, Frank Kenneth, PO1 USN(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Philadelphia
Last Address High Point, NC
Date of Passing Oct 30, 2011
Location of Interment Oakwood Memorial Park - High Point, North Carolina
Frank Kenneth Caulfield, age 88, formally of Fair Oaks Lane, High Point, NC, passed away Sunday, October 30, 2011 at the Hospice Home in High Point.
He was born December 20, 1922 in Philadelphia, PA to James and Laura Bell Riley. Frank was educated in the Philadelphia public and Catholic school system, including John Bartram High School. He married Irene Joan Granata on May 1, 1948 and together they had four children. He was a member of Christ the King Catholic Church in High Point, NC.
Frank proudly served the United States Navy for 24 years, retiring from active duty on April 26, 1967. Frank and his family lived all across the United States including Oahu, Hawaii and Key West, FL. During his service career, he served on USS submarines: ODAX, SEA POACHER, BASS, CATFISH, CORPORAL, TANG, BLUEGILL, and the nuclear submarine the SSBN SAM RAYBURN. He also served aboard the USS TINSMAN, a destroyer escort and was a recruiting officer for 2 years. During his service he was awarded the American Theater Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon (1 Star), Philippine Liberation Ribbon (1 Star), Good Conduct Ribbon (Silver Star), Victory Medal WWII, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Europe Clasp, and the National Defense Service (Bronze Star).
After his career in the Navy, Frank was a member of the Fleet Reserve. He and his family moved to High Point, NC where he became the Food Service Director of High Point College (High Point University). He joined VFW Post 219 and Submarine Veterans – Tarheel Branch and on January 1, 2006, was awarded membership into the Holland Club for being qualified in submarines for more than 50 years. Frank retired from High Point College after 18 years.
Frank was preceded in death by his parents, his daughter Mary Ann Caulfield, his beloved wife of 62 years, 2 brothers, Roger and Larry Caulfield and a sister, Dorothy Caulfield McLaughlin. He leaves to cherish his memory, daughter Adele Schiller and her husband, Ed of St. Charles, MO, sons Brian Caulfield and his wife, Rayma of High Point, NC and Kevin Caulfield of Burgaw, NC, seven grandchildren: Briana Ernsting and her husband James, Jenny Speck, Allison Schiller, Katie Caulfield, Riley Caulfield and his wife, Lauren, Brian Patrick Caulfield and Erin Schiller, 3 great grandchildren: Rachel Speck, Gunnar Ernsting, and Savannah Caulfield. He is also survived by a brother, James Caulfield of Margate NJ and a sister, Helen Caulfield Stecklair of Springfield, PA.
The family would like to give a special thanks to the staff at Hospice Home of High Point for their compassionate and loving care of Pop. You are truly an outstanding group of individuals. Pop found a new friend in Malcolm, his Hospice Volunteer.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. until the hour of the service. A funeral service will be held Wednesday at 11:30 am in Sechrest Funeral Chapel with the Reverend Father Gnanapragasam Mariasoosai officiating. Entombment with full military honors will follow the service in Oakwood Memorial Park Mausoleum.
Memorials may be directed to Hospice of the Piedmont, 1801 Westchester Drive, High Point, NC 27262. Please offer condolences with the family at their website www.sechrestfunerals.com.
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater
From Month/Year
December / 1941
To Month/Year
September / 1945
Description The plan of the Pacific subseries was determined by the geography, strategy, and the military organization of a theater largely oceanic. Two independent, coordinate commands, one in the Southwest Pacific under General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and the other in the Central, South, and North Pacific (Pacific Ocean Areas) under Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, were created early in the war. Except in the South and Southwest Pacific, each conducted its own operations with its own ground, air, and naval forces in widely separated areas. These operations required at first only a relatively small number of troops whose efforts often yielded strategic gains which cannot be measured by the size of the forces involved. Indeed, the nature of the objectivesùsmall islands, coral atolls, and jungle-bound harbors and airstrips, made the employment of large ground forces impossible and highlighted the importance of air and naval operations. Thus, until 1945, the war in the Pacific progressed by a double series of amphibious operations each of which fitted into a strategic pattern developed in Washington.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1943
To Month/Year
September / 1945
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
People You Remember USS Tinsman (DE-589) Lt. William G. Grote, USNR, in command
Memories Following fitting out and trials, the destroyer got underway on 21 July 1944, proceeded to Bermuda on shakedown, and returned to Boston on 19 August. On 11 October, she departed Boston harbor and, the next day, joined a convoy bound, via the Panama Canal, for the South Pacific. She arrived at Seeadler Harbor in the Admiralty Islands late in November and, after training exercises, headed for New Guinea. On 2 December, she reached Hollandia, and was soon at sea again escorting a convoy to Leyte. On 14 December, while Tinsman was in San Pedro Bay, a kamikaze plane grazed the bridge of a nearby tanker. A week later, the destroyer escort was back in New Guinea waters, anchoring in Humboldt Bay. The day after Christmas, she was on the move again, this time for waters off the Vogelkop Peninsula of New Guinea for antisubmarine patrol. In the first days of the new year, she escorted a convoy to San Pedro Bay; then, on 6 January 1945, she departed Leyte to screen a convoy bound for Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. On 12 January?as Tinsman escorted a slow-moving group consisting of an oiler, tugs, and tows?kamikaze planes attacked her convoy. During the day, the American ships fought off four Japanese attackers, downing two of the planes. On the 13th, Tinsman's guns downed another Japanese aircraft. On the 14th, Tinsman anchored in Lingayen Gulf and retired the next day toward Leyte, arr:ving in San Pedro Bay on the 18th to prepare for the Bandings at Nasugbu, Luzon. Tinsman departed Leyte Gulf on 27 January 1945 with Amphibious Group 8 and, on the 31st, arrived at Nasugbu Bay where troops of the 11th Airborne Division landed without serious opposition. That night a large number of Japanese Shinyo boats attacked the American ships. Armed with impact bombs, these small craft swarmed out of the darkness and attacked USS Lough (DE-586) as she patrolled not far from Tinsman. Tinsman provided illumination to assist Lough in defending herself, sinking at least six of the vessels. Tinsman departed Luzon on 2 February in a convoy bound for Mindoro. Throughout February, she shuttled between Mangarin Bay and Nasugbu Bay on escort duty. Early in March, she left Leyte Gulf, bound for New Guinea. After taking on stores at Hollandia, Tinsman returned to the Philippines and resumed escort duty. In mid-April, she made a voyage to Palau; and, in July, she varied her routine of convoy duty with visits to Ulithi and Hollandia before returning to the Philippines. Although the war ended in August, Tinsman remained in the Far East, operating mainly in the Philippines. She also made voyages to Hollandia and Tientsin before setting course for home on 29 November. Steaming via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor, she arrived at San Pedro, California, on 18 December 1945.
