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<em>Franklin Prague Shaw, Jr., </em>was born in Covington, KY, the first son of MG Franklin and Inez Skees Shaw. As a judge advocate, Franks father had tours at Ft. McPherson, the Cavalry School at Ft. Riley, and the 15th Infantry in Tientsin, China, interspersed with multiple tours in Washington, DC. The family settled in Falls Church, VA, which became Frank’s hometown.</p>
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Franks lifetime interest in world affairs dated from his years in China, 1932—34. His experiences living in the British Concession of Tientsin, visits to Peking, summer camp at Chinwangtao, hiking to the Great Wall at I Yuan Kuo, and observing Japanese hostility were part of an unforgettable introduction to the world abroad rarely experienced by young Americans.</p>
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Upon returning to the family home in 1934, Frank enrolled in Western High School in Washington. There, Frank’s interest in international relations was reinforced by events abroad, convincing him he should prepare for war by going to West Point. After high school, Frank attended Millard Preparatory School and received an Academy appointment.</p>
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Entering West Point in 1939, Frank easily adjusted to cadet life, excelled academically, and was elected his company’s Honor Committee representative. He was an active member of the Debating Society, which provided an outlet for his "fondness for argumentation and debate," attributed to him in the <em>Howitzer. </em>On graduation, Frank selected Infantry.</p>
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Following a year stateside with the 76th Division, Frank joined the 4th Division for the Normandy Invasion and landed on D+3 with a group of replacements for Company F, 22d Infantry, which was fighting in the hedgerow country. After three days leading a platoon in that brutal fighting, Frank was wounded and evacuated to England. His company commander, Jim Beam, who saved Frank’s life, later said Frank was "the coolest guy under fire" he ever had met.</p>
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Frank’s leg wound took some months to heal, and the medical board would have returned him to the States but for his insistence that he should return to duty. He served briefly with Headquarters ETOUSA before joining 12th Army Group, G-2 section, which led to extensive TDY with XX Corps and the 13th Armored Division in the crossings of the Rhine and Danube rivers and beyond in the closing days of the war. He was present for the liberation of Buchenwald, leaving an indelible imprint on his memory.</p>
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Frank remained in Europe with the Army G-2 after the war, the second of many intelligence assignments, though he always resisted being typed as an intelligence officer. There in Frankfurt, he met Martha (Billie) Murphy from Edinburg, TX. They married in August 1946. In 1947, they returned to the States to attend the Army’s post-war program of graduate schooling in international relations at Yale University.</p>
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After earning his master’s at Yale, Frank began the first of four Pentagon tours, this time with Army G-2, followed by four years in Japan, again with G-2. Before going to Japan, he transferred to Armor and attended the Armor Advanced Course.</p>
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In 1957, Frank returned to the States to attend CGSC and then took command of 69th Armored Battalion at Ft. Riley before returning once again to Pentagon duty, this time with the Department of Defense staff. During the Cuban missile crisis, he was a member of a small task force backing up Assistant Secretary Paul Nitze. In 1964, Frank turned down an opportunity to attend the Army War College and retired after 21 years of service. Although he retired primarily because he knew he couldn’t educate his four children on Army pay, Frank also was concerned about increased U.S. involvement in Viet Nam, which he thought would be a grave mistake.</p>
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After brief employment with North American Aviation in DC, Frank moved to Connecticut as vice president of DMS, Inc., a small company founded by a classmate. In 1973, he returned to the Pentagon, this time as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Program Analysis and Evaluation (Regional Programs). Frank’s extensive schooling, reading, experience in international affairs, military background, and prior Defense staff service made him a perfect match for the position.</p>
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In 1978, Frank left the Pentagon and worked for several years as a consultant to the new Federal Emergency Management Agency and then returned in 1984 for his final Pentagon tour with the Defense Intelligence Agency as Defense Intelligence Officer for General Purpose Forces, Santa Fe, NM. His total time at the Pentagon added up to 14 years.</p>
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Upon retiring from DIA, Frank pursued his longtime dream of building a home of his own design. The result was an outstanding home in the territorial style that he, Billie, and all his family enjoyed for his remaining years. The years in Santa Fe were active as Frank took leading positions in his community association and with the Santa Fe Northwest Advisory Council. He also was an active participant in efforts by West Point grads to restore regular commissions to graduates at graduation. He found time for skiing on nearby slopes, and played golf well into his last year.</p>
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Frank’s deep loyalty to family was a defining characteristic of his life. The welfare of his wife; children Frank, Bill, Sandra, and Jim; and grandchildren was his top priority. Frank made friends easily and kept in touch with them over the years, particularly with classmates and old Army comrades. He lived by the West Point motto, "Duty, Honor, Country," but his brother credits his innate personal and intellectual honesty to the standards and example set by their parents.</p>
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A fitting epitaph is found in a letter from COL Leon Shlofrock, who had been a sergeant in Frank’s company in the 76th Division: "He was a good soldier, a good drinking buddy, a dear friend, and one who left his mark in a positive way on society."</p>
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<em>His brother ’45 and family</em></p>