My name is Frank Neff, Jr. This is the only picture that I have of my Dad, Frank Nathan Bradley Neff and me. I remember my uncles kidding him about having more than one middle name (Nathan Bradley). Dad is the happy guy in the middle, back row, and I am the young boy on the left, front row.

Dad got drafted out of college (Tempe University) in 1943. He was an engineering student, and as a product of the ‘Dust Bowl’, Depression Era, he wasn’t very happy to have the education he had struggled so hard to obtain interrupted by what he called ‘the government’s stupid war.’

He ended up serving as a Combat Engineer in WWII, and although he didn’t talk about it much, whenever he did, he did so teary-eyed. I remember as a kid that I used to play soldier with my buddies, and one day Dad got so mad at me, he dragged me in the house, sat me down, and said, “So you think war is fun?! You think war is all fun and games?! Let me tell you what war is really like!” For the next hour or more (I was a kid – maybe 7, 8-years old) I sat terrified and transfixed, as Dad described The Battle of The Bulge in graphic detail.

He talked about how senseless it was to blow up centuries-old buildings, and how he and his comrades had to pick up pieces of guys that he’d blown up moments before. A Lt. took a Luger 9mm from Dad, pointed it at his own hand and pulled the trigger to see if it was loaded, and it WAS! Needless to say, Dad was no fan of combat, and often said, “War is nothing less than man’s admission that evolution works both directions.” It took me years to understand what he meant, but I have come to agree. Whether or not it’s necessary, war is only glorious to those who don’t have to fight it.

I enlisted in the Army in October, 1972. I had graduated from high-school, and the war in Vietnam was winding down and I didn’t want to miss it. I did my basic at Fort Polk, LA, and my AIT at Fort Lewis, WA, ending up with an Infantry MOS of 11C10, Indirect Fire Crewman. Much to my disappointment, the Paris Peace Accords were signed in January of 1973 and I was sent to Germany, assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, where I spent the remainder of my enlistment.

Despite my lack of combat experience, I am proud of my service and am grateful to have served my country.”
~ Frank N. Neff, Jr., U.S. Army

“War would end if the dead could return.”
~Stanley Baldwin

We are grateful to Frank Neff, Jr. for sharing his family story and photos. Please share your family pictures of those who served, so we may feature and honor them on Comes A Soldier’s Whisper, where we are all connected…

God Bless all who serve and keep us safe.

Footnote: Combat engineers primarily supervise, serve or assist as a member of a team when they are tackling rough terrain in combat situations. They provide their expertise in areas such as mobility, survivability and counter-mobility in general. Route Clearance is 98% of today’s Combat Engineers and would require driving down roads looking for IED’s and is extremely dangerous.

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