Frank Nicias Mitchell

FRANK NICIAS MITCHELL (1921-1950) Medal of Honor recipient Frank Nicias Mitchell was born on August 18, 1921, in Indian Gap, Texas. He graduated from Roaring Springs High School in Roaring Springs, Texas. Mitchell joined the Marine Corps in 1939 at Roaring Springs.

During World War II, Mitchell served aboard the USS Enterprise, Marshall Islands, and on occupation duty in China. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1945, following the end of the War. During and after the War, Mitchell attended several colleges under the Navy's V-12 officer training program. He attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs, the North Texas Agricultural College (now the University of North Texas), Southwestern University, and Texas Tech University, where he played varsity football for two years. While in college, he married Beverly Banks and they had a daughter, Barbara.

Mitchell was deployed to Korea in 1950 with Company A, First Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division as a First Lieutenant. He served as platoon leader on a patrol through dense, snow-covered woods near Hansan-ni on November 26, 1950, where his unit was attacked. Mitchell ran through heavy fire to the front of the line. He seized a rifle from a wounded soldier and fired at the enemy until he exhausted his supply of ammunition and then used grenades. As he fired on the enemy, he directed his men to defensive positions. The enemy regrouped and attacked again. Despite his wounds from the first attack, Mitchell reorganized his unit into a new defensive position. He then called for volunteers to find and evacuate the wounded, and led a group of litter bearers through hostile fire to accomplish the task. Mitchell was killed by a burst of small arms fire and his body was never recovered.

Mitchell's citation states that his leadership and courage saved the lives of wounded soldiers in his unit and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was presented to his wife and daughter at their home in Atlanta, Georgia, by Lieutenant Colonel Henry D. Strunk on August 6, 1952.

In addition to the Medal of Honor, Mitchell was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with Combat V, the Purple Heart with a Gold Star, the Presidential Unit Citation with two Bronze Stars, a Good Conduct Medal with one bar, the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, the United Nations Service Medal, and the American Campaign Medal.

His name is inscribed on the Wall of the Missing at the National Memorial of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. There is a Medal of Honor marker in his memory at the Roaring Springs Cemetery in Roaring Springs.

Bibliography: "Above and Beyond: The Medal of Honor in Texas," Capitol Visitors Center, State Preservation Board of Texas. Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, University of Texas, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/MM/fmicy.html, April 26, 2006. "Who's Who in Marine Corps History," United State Marine Corps History Division, http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Whos_Who/Mitchell_FN.htm, April 26, 2006.