U.S. Army Private First-Class Thomas Franklin Brooks will be laid to rest near his childhood home in Edmonson County on Sunday, October 1 at 11:00am as the community honors his ultimate sacrifice, having died as a prisoner of war of the Japanese Army in the Philippines during WWII at the age of 23 on December 10, 1942. He was born on October 3, 1919.
His remains arrived at the Louisville International Airport on Thursday, September 28. After a planeside transfer, the funeral procession will proceed to the Patton Funeral Home in Brownsville.
“Frank” as he was known to family and friends, joined the U.S. Army on January 20, 1941. He was stationed at Ft. Knox and was a member of the 192nd Tank Battalion, known as the “Harrodsburg Tankers.” They were one of the first units sent to reinforce US forces in the Philippines, arriving November 20, 1941, eighteen days prior to the attack at Pearl Harbor. His unit defended the islands, fighting in the “Battle of Bataan” until April 1942 when the US forces surrendered. Frank was wounded and hospitalized prior to being imprisoned in a POW camp in the Philippines in May 1942.
Frank survived his captivity for 8 months before dying on December 10, 1942, as a result of starvation and brutality at the hands of his Japanese captors. He was buried by other US prisoners in a communal grave with 8 other men.
After the war ended, US officials made multiple attempts to identify the men who had died as prisoners; however, they were unable to identify Frank and he was eventually buried as an unknown among the 17,000 graves of the American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. In 2014, family members submitted DNA samples to officials of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in hopes that his remains could be identified. In 2018, the remains were disinterred for the purpose of potential identification and the family was notified on June 20, 2023 that a positive identification had been made.
A graveside service with full military honors will be held at Hill Grove Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, at 1900 Dickeys Mill Road in Mammoth Cave. There will be limited seating available and people are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. Parking and transportation have been arranged across the street from the cemetery.
During the graveside service, his family will be presented with his honors: The Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, POW Medal, Army Good Conduct medal, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic/Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal and the Philippine Defense Medal. Other presentations are expected and will be announced as available.
