Milburn Andrew Francis was born on September 20, 1921, in Bowling Green, Clay County, Indiana. He was the son of John William Francis and Osa Elva Paulk Rhodes. He was married to Marilyn Sue Buell Francis. He was a 1941 graduate of Bowling Green High School. SSgt Francis served in the United States Army with the 740th Tank Battalion in World War II. Known as the “Daredevil Tankers”, the 740th was a separate battalion that fought from Utah Beach all the way to the Baltic Sea in support of various divisions of the US war effort.

Milburn served as a Tank Platoon Commander, primarily under General Bradley, with deployments across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany. Alongside the “Daredevil Tankers,” he saw combat at Utah Beach, during the Battle of the Bulge, in the Ardennes, along the Siegfried Line, and in the Ruhr Pocket. Following the war, he worked for Big Ben Coal Company before beginning a 33-year career with General Motors, retiring in 1983. He was a former member of the First Methodist Church, a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge, and a member of American Legion Post 2 in Brazil. He died on November 24, 2008, and is now buried in the Clearview Cemetery, Brazil, Clay County, Indiana, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com