O. Duane Urbom served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant with the Marine Fighter Squadron 214 deployed on the U.S.S. Franklin (CV-13) during World War II. On March 19, 1945, a Japanese bomber hit the U.S.S. Franklin near Okinawa. The explosion and resulting fire killed 772 people. Lieutenant Urbom was reported missing and ultimately declared dead on March 20, 1946. He was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, American Campaign Medal, Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal.
