North Dakota Family to Receive the Purple Heart, Quilt of Valor in Honor of WWII Hero

Ceremony to be held Nov. 4 at the AMVETS in Bismarck

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BISMARCK, N.D. - A ceremony will be held on Monday, Nov. 4 in Bismarck to present a Purple Heart medal to honor the service and sacrifice of Private Franklin Joseph DuFrame, who gave his life in service to our nation in World War II. The replacement medal will be presented to Pvt. DuFrame's son, Donald Franklin DuFrame of Lincoln, who served and enlisted in the Navy Reserve at 18 as a machinist mate 3rd class during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1967.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate committees on Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs, will present the family with a Purple Heart medal to honor and recognize the sacrifices of Franklin DuFrame. This replaces a previous Purple Heart awarded to Pvt. DuFrame, which had been lost. Cramer will present the family with a flag flown over the United States Capitol in honor of Pvt. DuFrame's heroic service.

The ceremony will also include the presentation of the Vietnam Commemorative Pin to recognize Donald DuFrame's service, and a Quilt of Valor by Missouri River Quilts of Valor members.

Purple Heart medals are awarded to service members who are wounded or killed because of enemy action in an armed conflict. It is the nation's oldest military honor still awarded today, and was established by President George Washington as the Badge of Military Merit in 1782.

"This Purple Heart medal is much more than an award; it's really a symbol of our nation's eternal gratitude for Franklin DuFrame's bravery, and heroism, and sacrifice," said Cramer. "Private DuFrame gave his life for our country, and it's really an honor for me to be able to present his family with this replacement medal to recognize his valiant service. It's a repeated honor that I get to have as a member of Congress to intervene on behalf of a family who lost just a small part, but an important part, of their loved one's legacy. This award represents that legacy, and it's something tangible they can hang on to and that they can pass down to generation after generation as they tell the story of dad, of grandpa, of great-grandpa, of great-great-grandpa's legacy in historical contribution to the freedom of America. It's just a privilege and a joy."

Born in August 1920 in Maine, Pvt. DuFrame served in the U.S. Army, C Company, 10th Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division. He was married to Elma Leona Helman DuFrame, and they had three children.

On March 24, 1945, he was wounded in action and transported to an evacuation hospital in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. Pvt. DuFrame died of his wounds two days later on March 26 at the age of 24. He was temporarily interned at the military cemetery in Stromberg and permanently laid to rest, at his family's request, at the Lorraine American War Cemetery in France.

The ceremony, which is open to the public, will be held Monday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. CT at AMVETS Post #9, 2402 Railroad Ave., Bismarck.