Pfc Frank R. Heberling
Photo Source: 62nd Arm/Ordnance
Grp Photo - J. Heberling, son

Frank was born February 17, 1923 in Milwaukee, WI. He graduated from Beloit High School, Beloit, WI in 1944. After high school he went to work at Freeman Shoes in Beloit where he was a Nailer Machine NE III.

Frank entered the service December 11, 1942 in the United States Army Air Force and was sent to Scotts Field, Illinois where he was trained as a radio operator and mechanic. Later he was sent to the Air Force Training School at Lowry Field, Colorado where he was trained in Airplane Armament. After his training he was assigned to the 20th Air Force, 314th Bomb Wing, 39th BG, 62nd BS Ordnance and was stationed at North Field, Guam where he repaired and maintained aircraft armor until his discharge on January 1946.

After the war Frank attended the Antonelli School of Photography in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After school he went back to Beloit where he worked at Yaglas Camera and TV.

He married Jeanne Hardyman and had three children.

They moved to Madison, WI in 1961 where Frank managed Hilldale Card and Camera at the Hilldale Shopping Center. He also served on the Board of Directors of Hilldale.

He never spoke too much about the war with his family. He would mention some of the activities that he found amusing during his time on Guam. He talked about how some of the men made their own alcohol. He said they would pore out the liquid of a coconut and refill it with raisins, a little beer for the yeast and other ingredients, cork it and hang it from a tree. When the cork popped it was time to drink it.

He said that at one time that a few of the men helped him barrow some lumber from the Officers Club to build their own little club. One of the pictures shows the club (shack). They named it “The Liberty Belle Hotel”.

The other story he told us is about a time he and one of his buddies went exploring on the Island and were on a road not even big enough for all 4 tires of the jeep to be on at some points. They can under fire from a Japanese sniper and some how his friend managed to turn the jeep around on that tiny road and get back to camp safely.

Many times some of his buddies would stop by our house and they would head out to the back porch to talk. Wives and children were not aloud to listen. My father would never talk about the bad things that happened during the war, he would only say that he lost a lot of good friends.