Generations of Heros
By Carter Goodrich
Francis James Flageolle
12/22/1922- 2/10/1988
Francis James Flageolle (“Frank”) was born in Stratton Kit, Colorado, which is a small town in Eastern Colorado, near the Kansas border, on December 22nd, 1922.[1] He grew up with a loving mother, Amelia M. Heiber, a father, Charles L. Flageolle, a sister, Dorothy Flageolle, who was a year younger than Frank, and a brother, Albert R. Flageolle Sr., who was 2 years younger than Frank. He spent three years attending high school before he dropped out to enlist in the United States Army. On April 5th, 1942, he married his wife Violet Madeline Vance, who was a year younger than Frank. Violet was the youngest child out of the 7 children that her parents had.
He enlisted in the Army on March 5th, 1943, at the age of 20, and served as a fifth-class technician in the Second World War. “Technician fifth grades (sometimes referred to as technician fifth class) were the same pay grade as corporals but were ranked one level below corporals.” This means he was not necessarily in combat but was more of a technical soldier. He likely had skills such as radio operator, vehicle maintenance, or medical assistance. At the end of the war, he then came back to the United States on March 13th, 1946, at the age of 23.
His brother, Albert Flageolle Sr, also served in the military. He was a Radioman Petty Officer 2nd Class, who served in World War II. Albert’s son then followed in his footsteps, as Albert Flageolle Jr served in Vietnam in the Navy as a Machinist’s Mate, a petty officer third class.
After he came back stateside, he and his wife gave birth to two girls, Verdonna Katherine Flageolle, born in 1948 and passed away in 2002, and Scherrie Lynn Flageolle, born in 1954 and passed away in 2008. According to the April 4th, 1946 edition of the Wray Gazette, which was focused on his friends back home, he and his wife planned on moving to California. However, it is unclear if they ever ended up moving. Through a child of Frank, “He was a kind man.. harassed by memories of WWII for many years… came home with malaria.. struggled with it for about two years after he came home..” It was not clear which daughter wrote this. This shows that he had a rough time on active duty, both physically and mentally. This also gives us the hint that he was stationed in the Pacific, as this was a very common disease that soldiers got from this region.
Unfortunately, on February 10th, 1988, he passed away in Lakewood, Colorado. Today, he rests at Fort Logan, as well as his brother Albert, who passed away 7 years after him, and Albert Jr., who passed away in 2015.
Footnotes ↓
Information for this biography can be found at:
[1] www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/61846/records/544729 www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/60525/records/120670124 www.findagrave.com/memorial/145016534/violet- www.findagrave.com/memorial/652745/albert_raymond_flageolle www.vlm.cem.va.gov/ALBERTRFLAGEOLLEJR/677A6CE
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