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Roll Call Tribute

Frank Baldwin Jr. '69 June 17, 2019 3:00 PM updated: June 19, 2019 12:31 PM

Lakeside Funeral Home obituary
121 Claremore Drive
Woodstock, GA 30188
770-293-2757 kyle@lakesidefuneralhomega.com

LTC. Frank A. Baldwin Jr.
June 12, 1947 - June 13, 2019

Frank Albert Baldwin, Jr., 72, passed away peacefully on June 13, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia, due to heart surgery complications. He was born on June 12, 1947, in the Republic of Panama, the oldest of five children.

Frank, known to his family as “Frankie”, grew up in the Canal Zone, where he attended schools on the Pacific side of the Isthmus. He went to Balboa High School for two years, but after his Junior year decided to accompany his grandparents when they retired to Texas after the 1964 Panama Riots (following this event, Frank organized volunteers from his ROTC unit to raise the first Panamanian flag to fly over Balboa High School). Frank graduated from Longview High School in 1965, and then attended Texas A&M University as a member of the Corps of Cadets.

Following his college graduation in 1969, Frank was ordered to active duty in the Army as a newly minted, 22-year old, Second Lieutenant. He often said, “I graduated from college, was commissioned an officer, and received my orders to Viet Nam in the same afternoon”. In little time, Frank was awarded several medals and badges for his role in ground combat operations and individual heroism, including the Bronze Star Medal and, from the Republic of Viet Nam, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. In 1971, only two-plus years after receiving his commission, he was promoted to Captain in a field ceremony in Can Tho, Viet Nam.

In 1978, Frank was assigned and involved in the planning and execution of Task Force Guyana, which was formed to recover Americans who perished in the Jonestown mass suicide. In his words, it was “an unspeakable horrific scene . . . beyond the capability of any normal human being to bear”. Over 900 people died in the Jonestown Massacre.

In the late 1980’s, Frank, a Major by now, was hand-picked by the Pentagon to lead the Army’s investigation into the HIV virus. The Army wanted to provide its Service Members with the best medical care, and support the patients and their families. By the end of this sensitive multi-million dollar project, Frank had become one of the most knowledgeable people in the Army concerning HIV and AIDS. He helped develop the model for medical care and for spiritual and physiological counseling, in addition to a training module to educate the entire Army about the HIV and AIDS infection. Ultimately, he spearheaded the testing of over 1,000,000 Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard service members for the HIV infection, likely saving many lives in the process.

Frank’s last job in the Army included duties to “develop personnel plans supporting execution of national policies and strategies”. As tensions grew with Noriega’s Panamanian government he was involved in putting together the classified plan of invading his cherished boyhood home, a position which left him torn between the “demanding obligations of my duties and my love for Panama”, where he still had friends and relatives. The invasion occurred in December 1989, and “When the order came, the plan was executed flawlessly. We had a successful operation with minimal casualties.”

Frank had a stellar military career, and by the time he retired from the Army in 1990, had achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He decided to retire instead of accepting a transfer to Korea, which was an unaccompanied overseas assignment. It was a tough personal decision, but he was a single Dad by then, and felt it was more important to focus on raising his two children. Family, and especially fatherhood, were always among Frank’s highest priorities in life. His grandchildren call him “Colonel”, which must have made him feel that his decision was worthwhile. He was a devoted father and grandfather.

Following his retirement from the Army, Frank helped develop and grow a building services company, then later opened a small craft shop which he owned with his wife. After Hurricane Katrina he was recruited by FEMA because of his military background and started deploying to disasters. He “genuinely enjoyed helping my fellow citizens in their time of need”.

Frank had an outgoing personality, and one much bigger than his stature. If you needed a friend, you could count on him. And boy, could he yarn a tale. His stories – mostly based on true-life experiences and family memories – were funny and his laughter was contagious. You didn’t have to be in the same room to know he was in the building. He loved story telling with his friends, most recently at his 50th year anniversary with his Aggie classmates (if there was one thing Frank treasured almost as much as family, it was his Aggie college ring). They re-lived the practical jokes they pulled in bygone days, something Frank loved doing all of his life.*

Frank was a proud American and patriot who loved his country. He cared about veterans’ issues and understood their plight. He was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder in 2012, which was a revelation in many ways, and gave him the chance to fully enjoy the last few years of his life with his family and friends. When he passed away, Frank worked at a substance abuse center at his home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, providing peer support for patients, many of them veterans.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents, Frank A. Baldwin Azcárraga and Laura (Coqui) García de Paredes Baldwin. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Lewelling Baldwin; his children Michelle Baldwin Kenyon and her husband Jeremy, Frank A. Baldwin III and his wife Leigh, and their mother Blanca Alfaro Preciado; his step-children Cristina A. Munkres Scott and her husband Elliot, and Clifford D. Munkres and his wife Mayumi; and by his grandchildren Abby and Emmie Kenyon and Charlie and Frankie Baldwin, and step-grandchildren Noah and Mia Scott. He is also survived by his siblings William A. Baldwin and his wife Irma, Robert C. Baldwin and his wife Barbara, Nancy E. Baldwin Reid, and Floyd H. Baldwin and his wife Susan, as well as a nephew and six nieces.

Frank will be buried at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia with full military honors.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Wounded Warrior Project. You will help bring independence back to our nation’s most severely wounded veterans.
https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org

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* Michelle and Frank III invite all friends and family to share your fondest memories of their father. An anecdote, something he said, an experience, a story, a picture (or two or ten), a message to the family, or what he meant to you. If you knew their father, you must have some great memories! These will be compiled into a book that the family can treasure. Kindly email your cherished Lt. Colonel, Frank A. Baldwin, Jr. memories to myfrankbaldwinjr@gmail.com by December 1, 2019.


VISITATION
Lakeside Funeral Home
Friday, July 05, 2019
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Email Details
121 Claremore Drive
Woodstock, GA 30188

GRAVESIDE SERVICE
Georgia National Cemetery
Friday, July 05, 2019
2:30 PM
Email Details
1080 Veterans Cemetery Road
Canton, GA 30114
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lakeside Funeral Home services notice
121 Claremore Drive
Woodstock, GA 30188
770-293-2757 kyle@lakesidefuneralhomega.com

Frank Albert Baldwin
June 12, 1947 - June 13, 2019

VISITATION
Lakeside Funeral Home
Friday, July 05, 2019
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
121 Claremore Drive
Woodstock, GA 30188

GRAVESIDE SERVICE
Georgia National Cemetery
Friday, July 05, 2019
2:30 PM
1080 Veterans Cemetery Road
Canton, GA 30114


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