Francis "Frank" McCloskey Jr.

Francis “Frank” McCloskey Jr. was born to Mary Lou (Meagher) Henry and Francis Sr., on August 1, 1948, and also raised by Mack Henry, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He attended United High School graduating in June, 1966 with Varsity letters in Football, Wrestling & Track. Although entitled to a deferment as the last surviving heir, Frank volunteered to go to Vietnam, and unwilling to wait for the Marines or his 18th birthday, he enlisted at 17 and trained at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and Airborne Infantry at Ft. Benning, GA. before deploying with the 502 Battalion of the famed 101st Airborne Division. On May 18, 1967, Frank was wounded in action and awarded the Purple Heart in addition the Combat Infantry Badge and A Bronze Star with Valor Device for his first Tour. In 1968 Frank graduated U.S. Army Special Forces School at Ft. Bragg, NC, receiving the coveted Green Beret. Upon arrival in Vietnam for his second Tour, Frank was selected for an elite unit within the U.S. Special Operations Community called Military Assistance Command, Vietnam- Studies & Observations Group, (MAC-V-SOG). His tenure with this Group consisted of liaising with and training natives in counter-insurgency warfare and long-distance recon missions into Laos & North Vietnam, culminating with commanding his own Recon Team, RT Habu. After undertaking heroic measures moving his team to safety during an overwhelming enemy attack, Frank was awarded his second Bronze Star Medal with Valor device. After 3 years of war, Sgt. McCloskey transferred to the 11th (Reserve) Special Forces Group in Ft. Meade, MD in 1969 and was sworn in as a police officer with Metropolitan Police District of Columbia. Within 2 years Frank was promoted to detective at MPDC Homicide where he was part of the responding detectives to the attempted assassination of President Reagan in March. Later that Spring, Government called on him again, this time to serve in the Central Intelligence Agency where he performed clandestine operations in the Latin American Division and was trained as a helicopter pilot. From 1981onward, Frank participated in training the special forces of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador as well as the Contras. In August 1983 in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Frank put himself at extreme personal risk again to save another during a violent guerilla assault. As as result, he was awarded The Battle Cross for Valor, the only non-Guatemalan military member to achieve this honor. In recognition of his sacrifice, Director William Casey awarded Frank the Intelligence Star for Valor, the Agency’s highest award and the Department of War equivalent to the Silver Star. Frank worked to thwart the spread of Marxism until 1995 when he retired from Government Service after 29 years. In 1996, Frank was selected to be the Chief of Police for the Chitimacha Tribal Police department in Louisiana, where he assisted with prosecutions navigating Tribal Law and Napoleonic Code. After a change in elders, Frank was hired as a Detective in the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office as an Investigator. During this time, Frank was also solicited by the Department of Justice to return to Guatemala on a fact-finding mission concerning the previous civil war. Returning home to the Maryland area briefly, Frank passed selection and was hired as a member of the United Nations Civilian Police Force in Kosovo in 1999 in the aftermath of the Bosnian War, during which time he served as a Investigator-Trainer for the Police in Pristina. In 2000 Frank returned to his boyhood love, flying, and served as a MedStar pilot in the Washington D.C., Maryland area saving countless lives from traumatic scenes. After 15 years of flying, Frank relocated with his wife and family to Johnstown, Colorado where he gained employment as a flight dispatcher and scheduler at AIMS Community College in Greeley, Frank’s last job where he worked up until the time of his passing. Locally, Frank is survived by his wife of 48 years, Donna, his stepson Brandon along with daughter in law, Erin and their children Conor, Isabella, Luke, Oliver & Maximillian. In New Mexico, he is survived and loved by his daughter, Shannon, son-in-law Manuel, grandson Leo ‘Bobo’ Salazar and daughter Jennifer Galvez, son-in-law Carlos and grandson Gianluca. In Pennsylvania, he is survived by two sisters, Kathy Ashcom Lepsch and Lisa Henry, and in Florida, by his sister Laura Day. Globally, Frank will be remembered by his oldest, and first love- his brothers in arms. Interment to follow at Arlington National Cemetery in Summer, 2026.

Francis "Frank" McCloskey Jr.

August 1, 1948 - November 18, 2025