TEC 5 Francis J. Holoubek
Today we honor and remember TEC5 Francis J. Holoubek of the 101st Airborne Division.
Technician Fifth Grade (TEC5) Francis Joseph Holoubek of 326th Medical Company, 101st Airborne Division, was born in Schuyler, Colfax County, Nebraska, to Joseph J., and Stazie A. (Pytlicek) Holoubek on November 5, 1914. Francis was their only son. He had four sisters, Millie, Pauline, Louise E., and Edith I. Holoubek.
His father “Joe” passed away at age 49 in 1932.
Francis registered for the draft in Benson City Hall, Omaha, Nebraska, on October 16, 1940. At the time, he was employed as a cook in a café in Valley, Douglas County, Nebraska, that was operated by Francis, his sister Patricia, and her husband Jack Tedrow. He later went for some time to California, where he met Ruth Ellen Wickland in Los Angeles. He married her at Clark, Nevada, on October 25, 1941, and returned to Valley where he was employed by the Union Pacific until he entered the service.
Francis enlisted in the U.S. Army on December 26, 1942. He received his training at Nashville, Tennessee, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was assigned to the 326th Medical Company, 101st Airborne Division.
After finishing the stateside training with his company, Francis moved to New York with his outfit. On September 5, 1943, he left the United States when the H.M.S. Samaria pulled away from a New York Harbor pier. The ship arrived in Liverpool, England, on September 15th. The men of the 326th Medical Company were stationed in the vicinity of Templeton House and Standen Manor, Berkshire.
The 326th Med Co was deployed into Normandy by parachute, glider, and sea on D-Day. In the early morning hours of D-Day, a medical aid station was established at the Chateau Columbierés, near Hiesville, France. The medical assistance provided to the wounded went very well until a tragic moment.
On the night of June 9, 1944, at around 23:35 hrs., the hospital was dive-bombed by an enemy plane. Two direct hits were scored on the station. One crater produced by a delayed action bomb was seventy feet across and 65 feet deep.
The Morning Report of the company mentions ten enlisted men killed in action. It was a devastating moment, forbidden by the Geneva Conventions, but that did not stop the pilot from dropping his bombs which killed TEC5 Francis Holoubek and many others.
Another Screaming Eagle had soared to the ultimate height. 🦅
TEC5 Francis Holoubek was 29 years of age when he died in Normandy, on June 9, 1944
On June 11, 1944, he was first buried at the temporary military cemetery of Hiesville. His remains arrived at Schuyler from Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday, May 26, 1948. He was reburied with full military honor at Schuyler Cemetery, Schuyler, Colfax County, Nebraska, the same day. Besides his mother and four sisters, Francis Holoubek left behind his wife Ruth Ellen. May he rest in peace.
Happy Birthday in Heaven, Francis.
Lest we forget! 🇺🇸
The sources used for this article are known to the author and available on request.