Two guerrillas ended Frank Rose's Vietnam experience and his life.

Frank James Rose Jr. was born in Hayward, California, on August 6, 1941, to Mr. and Mrs. Frank James Rose. While he was still an infant, his family relocated to Watsonville where his maternal grandmother was living. Later, before Frank's parents divorced, several siblings joined him in the Rose household. Others were later added when his mother married William Serpa of Watsonville. Rose attended local schools and in 1955 entered Watsonville High School. He enjoyed renovating old cars, which led him into employment as a spray painter at a local paint and body shop. Prior to the Vietnam War, Frank married Claudia Jean, who also lived in the Pajaro Valley.

Frank Rose was drafted into the US Army on October 20, 1966, and sent to Fort Lewis, Washington, for basic and advanced individual training. On April 16, 1967, he was deployed to Vietnam where he joined HQ Company, 35th Engineer Battalion that served as a combat engineer unit. During his tour in Vietnam, Frank's company was engaged in highway maintenance. His unit also provided support for the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) unit in the Bong Son plains during the Loa valley operations.

On July 12, 1967, while working in his company compound area, Specialist Fourth Class Frank James Rose Jr. was shot and killed by two Vietnamese youths, said to be members of a Viet Cong guerilla unit. His body was returned to Watsonville and after a funeral at Valley Catholic Church, was interred in the adjoining cemetery.

(VVMW; WHSM; WRP July 15, 1967, July 17, 1967 1:5 1:1; 35th Unidentified Website, Battalion of Engineers in Vietnam http://stinet.dtic. mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD08244 96 [15 May 2007 Approx].)