Franklin McHugh

Franklin McHugh

Franklin Thomas McHugh, 91, a longtime Annapolis resident, died Wednesday, September 14 at his home in Heritage Harbour after a short illness. He was a decorated Marine Corps Reserve fighter pilot who served in World War II and the Korean War, and embodied the patriotic spirit and physical and mental courage of "The Greatest Generation." Lt. Col. McHugh was born in Chippewa Falls, WI, one of seven children of Dr. Francis McHugh and Ida Corcoran McHugh. Excepting one, all the children served in uniform in World War II. (Their mother Ida was a Red Cross nurse in Paris during World War I.) McHugh graduated from Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du chien, WI in 1937 and attended the U.S. Naval Academy and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Although underage, he enlisted as a soldier in the Wisconsin National Guard at 15 and in the Maryland National Guard at 17. He was an aviation cadet in the Navy Reserve for a year beginning in 1942. In 1943 he entered the Marine Corps Reserve, from which he retired in 1969. McHugh specialized in night and all-weather combat flights and spent more than 2,400 hours in the air in both wars. He served with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 212 (VMFA-212 - "Hell Hounds") in World War II and with Marine Fighting Squadron 321 (VMF-321 - "Hell's Angels") in Korea, piloting the F4U Corsair, which could climb to over 35,000 feet and was the first American fighter capable of speeds exceeding 400 mph. In 1943 and 1944, he flew dive bombing and air fighting missions against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands and Bismarck Archipelago Area. He flew 70 combat missions in total, some classified. Operating from Guadalcanal, he blasted numerous Japanese bases with his "Hell's Angels" compatriots. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross medal with two gold stars and the Air Medal by the Navy as well as citations from the president of the United States. In the Korean conflict, he flew with the re-commissioned VMF-321, flying 48 combat missions with the "Flying Nightmares," a night fighter unit. The missions consisted of close air support and interdiction strikes against vitally needed enemy supplies. For his Korea service, he was presented two Gold Stars in lieu of Air Medals previously awarded for service during the Solomon Islands campaign in World War II. Like his Greatest Generation compatriots, McHugh remembered where he was and what he was doing on that storied "day of infamy," Dec. 7, 1941. A true Wisconsinite he was in a family-friendly bar or beer house eating lunch that Sunday. Someone had heard news on the radio about the surprise attack. McHugh and his pals were a bit confused, however; they weren't sure where Pearl Harbor was. "I think it's in the Philippines," one said. "No, it's one of those islands in the South Pacific," said another. McHugh stated he believed it was in Hawaii. As he recounted his Pearl Harbor memories down the years, he would usually add, "Now that I think about it, they (newspeople) should have said where it was." Another memory McHugh liked to recount was what it was like to grow up in a part of the country that was the stomping ground of notorious '30s gangsters. As a boy, he devoured The Chicago Tribune's account of the gunfight between John Dillinger and the FBI at the Little Bohemia Lodge 100 miles away, which featured multiple stories, photos and maps and diagrams showing the outlaws' movements that night. McHugh grew up in a small town with ornate turn-of-the-century buildings and where everybody knew everybody else. His father, the town surgeon, was active in the community and supported the Progressive politicians Robert La Follette Jr. and Army Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood. Once in the early '30s, Dr. McHugh was waiting in his car while a gas station attendant filled up his tank in Chippewa. Glancing at the other customers at the filling station, he couldn't help but notice that one of them, hat pulled down over his visage, was unmistakably John Dillinger. The doctor told some folks in town he'd seen Dillinger in Chippewa. But after word filtered through the small-town grapevine, the final story that emerged was that Dr. McHugh had treated Public Enemy No. 1 for either a gunshot or stab wound in the doctor's office he ran from his home. "That was just a rumor," Franklin McHugh emphasized. "But he did see Dillinger; it definitely was him." Al Capone, Homer Van Meter and Baby Face Nelson were other gangsters McHugh recalled hearing and reading about. "During the summer," he said, "these big black cars loaded with men would drive through town, usually in the evening, on their way up to the lake country north of our hometown. This was known to everybody."

McHugh enjoyed reading aloud to his own children when they were growing up and later to children in Annapolis-area schools. He was active in the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Commodore John Barry Division in Annapolis and the Marine Corps Reserve Officers Association. He used to attend the yearly Marine Corps birthday party at McGarvey's Saloon at City Dock, where, as the years passed, he ended up being honored for being the oldest, most experienced Marine at the gig. And in the 1990s and early 2000s, he initiated a drive to have all the churches in Annapolis ring their bells simultaneously on the Fourth of July as was done on Independence Day 1776. He belonged to the Annapolis chapter of the Military Order of World Wars. He joined with local gardners to promote the development of butterfly gardens throughout Annapolis. McHugh worked for the Federal Aviation Administration for about 20 years, in both Washington DC and Atlantic City, NJ, doing public affairs and technical writing to publicize new, experimental lighting and runways that would improve aviation safety. Previously, he was aviation director for the Baltimore Association of Commerce where he promoted Friendship Airport, now BWI/ Marshall Airport, predicting it would one day play a preeminent role in a worldwide air transportation network. Earlier, he worked as an advertising copy writer for BBDO, a major advertising agency in New York City. He was stopped on the street and asked to model for advertisements and photos that later appeared in romance magazines such as True Confessions. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, the former Claire Wise, of Annapolis; three children, Daniel T. McHugh of Annapolis and his son, John, of Chicago; Jane C. McHugh of Annapolis; and Dr. Nancy E. McHugh, her husband Paul Wartman of Yorktown Heights, NY, and their three children, Sarah, Christopher and Katie Wartman. In addition, a brother, Jack, of the Chicago area, survives him. The family will receive friends on Friday, September 16, from 6 to 8 at the John M. Taylor Funeral Home, Inc. 147 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401. A funeral will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 9 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, 109 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www.johnmtaylorfuneralhome.com