Lawrence Lee Schrank was born 9 October 1924 to the parents of Walter Waldemar Schrank and Anna Emma Schrank Nee Schneider at Aleman, Hamilton County Texas. He was the youngest of four live birth siblings. One brother was stillborn in September 1913. He lived at home at Aleman until he was 15 years old; then moved to Hamilton with his parents. He joined the Enlisted Reserve on 13 November 1942 while a member of the ROTC at John Tarleton Agricultural College in Stephenville, Texas. He was called to active on 8 May 1943 when he reported for duty to Camp Wolters, Mineral Wells, Texas. After completion of basic training at Camp Maxey, Paris, Texas he was assigned to an ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) at Texas College of Arts & Industries at Kingsville, Texas to continue his studies in basic engineering. After the end of the first school year all basic ASTP engineer units were discontinued and he was reassigned to the 103D Infantry Division at Camp Howze at Gainesville, Texas. In the fall of 1944 the Division was sent to Camp Shanks, New York for shipment to Europe. He celebrated his 20th birthday on board a Navy troop transport ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on route to Marseille, France. He served as an Infantry soldier for the remainder of World War II in Europe. He earned the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star Medal (for valor) and three Campaign Stars for combat in the Alsace Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe, and various other decorations. After the end of the war at Solden in the Otz Valley of Tirol in Austria he was assigned to occupation duty in Germany where he was promoted to the grade of First Sergeant on 15 November 1945, one month and 6 days after he had reached his 21st birthday. After he returned to the United States in April of 1948 he was assigned to several duty stations within the U.S. and was promoted from Regular Army Master Sergeant to Regular Army Second Lieutenant on 31 May 1950 while assigned to the ROTC Detachment at Michigan State College in East Lansing, Michigan. In the ensuing years he served two more tours of duty in Germany and one tour in South Korea. He retired from active duty at Fourth Army Head Quarters at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas on 31 May 1964 after a total time of 21 years 6 months and 18 days active and reserve service. He lived in Upper Bavaria, Germany from time of retirement in 1964 to 1984. On 23 June 1984 he took up permanent residence in Aleman, Texas. He passed away on March 8, 2014 and was interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Hamilton, Texas.
He is survived by wife Gerda Schrank of Hamilton and daughter Patricia Schrank of Munich Germany. He was predeceased by his parents Walter Waldemar Schrank and Anna Emma Schrank nee Schneider, his brother Winfred C. Schrank.
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