Frank J. Annis was born on April 28, 1921 in Utica, NY to Joseph G. Annis (1885-1977) and Loretta M. Weis (1889-1938). His parents were married on November 21, 1918 in Oneida, NY. His dad was from Italy and came to the U.S. in 1904 becoming a U.S. citizen in 1909. His dad was a laborer and later a knapper at a knitting mill. His mom was from the U.S and was a home maker. He was the youngest of their 3 children which included Edwin (perhaps a half brother) and Shirley. By 1930 the family was living on Rutger Street in Utica, NY. Frank graduated from Proctor High School and was a member of St. Agnes Church.

Frank joined the NY National Guard in November 1939 and was living at 906 Jefferson Ave. in Utica, NY at the time. He was with the 10th Infantry in the Guard which on December 11, 1940 was redesignated as the 106th Infantry. He entered the service in October 1940 when the National Guard was federalized. He had 3 years of high school education at the time and reported being an "actor" on his enlistment papers. His service number was 20271146. He was sent to Fort McClellan, Alabama for basic training and then Fort Ord, California for manuevers. In March 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Frank's unit was moved to Hawaii to defend the outer islands from amphibious attack and to train for combat in the Pacific. He was awarded the Good Conduct badge during this time (Sept. 43.)

The 27th Infantry Division first saw action in the Gilbert Islands in the fall of 1943 (Makin Island). From there it was on to Eniwetok Atoll in February 1944 before returning to Hawaii in March that same year for rest and refitting. The Division then landed on Saipan in support of the Second and Fourth Marines that had landed a day earlier. During this fighting he was awarded the Expert Infantryman badge (May 1944). Beginning in the middle of August 1944, the Division moved to the New Hebrides for rest and rehabilitation. They stayed there through Christmas 1944. In January 1945 he was named eligible to wear a bronze service star for his participation in the Mandated Islands Campaign. In February 1945 he was certified as a Sharpshooter on the BAR (Brownie Automatic Rifle). He was also awarded the Combat Infantryman badge (date was illegible). In March 1945, the 27th sailed from Espiritu Santo where it was refitting, arriving at Okinawa April 9, 1945.

The 27th participated in the general attack on Okinawa which started on April 19, 1945. The major attack was launched on the Shuri defensive line. The 27th was on the west flank during this attack. Fighting was difficult. The terrain was rugged, the enemy dug in. On the 21st the 27th was heavily engaged along the "Kakazu Pocket". On the 22nd, during heavy fighting in the Kakazu Pocket, Pfc. Annis is killed. He was initially buried in one of the temporary cemeteries established on Okinawa and later, during the government's body recovery program his remains are returned to the United States and buried in the Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira, NY, section C, site 3285. In February 1946 St. Agnes church in Utica, NY paid tribute to him (and other local war dead) in a ceremony giving thanks to the victorious end of the war. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1847-1849, 1907-1936 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

Appleman, Roy E., et al. Okinawa: The Last Battle. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1948. Web.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/291246/frank_j-annis: accessed September 5, 2025), memorial page for PFC Frank J Annis (28 Apr 1921–22 Apr 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 291246, citing Woodlawn National Cemetery, Elmira, Chemung County, New York, USA; Maintained by ShaneO (contributor 47009366).

National Archives and Records Administration, various Morning Reports access at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/567164160 with search string 20271146 on September 5, 2025.

“National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.” American Battle Monuments Commission, www.abmc.gov. Accessed 11 Sept. 2025.

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; Collection: New York, New York National Guard Service Cards, 1917-1954; Series: B2001; Film Number: 28

New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, 106th Infantry Regiment during World War II, accessed at https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/unit-history/conflict/world-war-2-1939-1945/106th-infantry-regiment on September 5, 2025.

Pictorial History Twenty-Seventh Division United States Army, 1940-1941, Major General William N. Haskell, (Army-Navy Publishers  -- Atlanta, Ga.: Army-Navy Publishers, Inc., 1941.

Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File

"Tribute Paid 8 War Dead at St. Agnes", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, February 11, 1946, pg. illegible.

"Utican Forfeits Life in Fight For Okinawa", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, June 29, 1945, pg. 13.

Year: 1930; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0132; FHL microfilm: 2341356

Supporting Documents