Army 1st Lt. Frank B. Walkup IV

Remember Our Heroes

Army 1st Lt. Frank B. Walkup IV, 23, of Woodbury, Tenn.

Lt. Walkup was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died June 16 in Kirkuk, Iraq, from injuries sustained in Rashaad Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position during dismounted operations.

Arrangements imcomplete for Lt. Frank Walkup IV
By Lisa Marchesoni - June 21, 2007

Funeral arrangements are still incomplete for Riverdale High School 2001 graduate Frank B. Walkup IV who died Saturday in Iraq when he was on patrol searching for insurgents and stopped a suspicious convoy, said his father, Frank Walkup III of Woodbury.

Woodbury Funeral Home is handling arrangements which will probably be held the 4th of July with a service at the funeral home, a small memorial service at Woodbury United Methodist Church and burial at Riverside Cemetery in Woodbury.

Walkup was a platoon leader in the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry.

"He's a hero," his father said. "He did this well knowing what the consequences will be."

Walkup is survived by his wife, Sabita, father, stepmother, Mitzi, and eight brothers and sisters who live in Woodbury and his mother, Melissa Oaks of Memphis.

Walkup grew up as "military brat" and began wearing the Army uniform in ninth grade. He was a cadet in the ROTC program at Riverdale. After graduation, he attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he participated in ROTC. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant after graduation in 2005.

In the Army, Walkup was promoted to 1st lieutenant. He completed air assault school, airborne school and ranger school, making him ranger qualified. He was deployed to Iraq 10 months ago where he served as platoon leader. His tour was extended until October. He planned to make the military his career.

Walkup came from a long-term military family.

"We're very proud of him," the elder Walkup said. "He served very honorably."

At Riverdale, Walkup was a good student who academically scored in the top percentage of his class.

"He never got into any trouble," his father said. ""He was somebody his peers looked up to. He didn't bend to their wishes. He never did drugs and had no problems with the law."

Walkup had a happy attitude who didn't let hardship affect him.

"He had that winning attitude," his father said. "He tried to be a good leader."

His family lived in south Murfreesboro and attended St. Mark's United Methodist Church. They relocated to Woodbury and now attend Woodbury United Methodist Church.

Walkup said the Cannon County community, including his church and his children's baseball teams, has been so supportive since learning about his son's death.

Army 1st Lt. Frank B. Walkup IV was killed in action on 6/16/07.





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