Frank E. Roubicek was born March 2, 1925 in Omaha, NE. He was the youngest of three sons of Adolph and Amalie Roubicek. Frank and his brothers, Charles and Adolph, lived with their parents near 21st and Bancroft St. in South Omaha.

Tragedy struck Frank’s family when his father suffered a heart attack and died at home on November 4, 1926. Amalie subsequently married Frank J. Didek, and the family remained in the house at 21st and Bancroft St.

Little is known about Frank’s formative years and education. By 1942, he was employed as a checker at the Brandeis Department Store in downtown Omaha. He registered for the U.S. military draft on June 30, 1942, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy on February 8, 1943.

On August 31, 1943, S2c Frank Roubicek was received on board the U.S.S. Haggard (DD555), a Fletcher class destroyer that was commissioned on that same day. For the next 20 months, the Haggard would be Frank’s home, and he would be involved in many battles in the Pacific theater during World War II.

After spending several months in training exercises, loading ammunition, and making other preparations, the Haggard arrived at Pearl Harbor, HI on November 30. The next seven weeks were spent preparing the Haggard for her first major assignment supporting the war effort in the Pacific.

The Haggard departed Pearl Harbor on January 22, 1944 to help capture the Japanese held Marshall Islands. Throughout February, the Haggard engaged in bombardments at the islands of the Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atolls.

Over the next six months, the Haggard served in combat operations in the areas of New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Marianas Islands. On May 17, the Haggard made sound contact with a vessel that was determined to be a Japanese submarine. The Haggard, along with two other U.S. ships, fired depth charge attacks that destroyed what was later determined to be the Japanese submarine I-176.

Beginning in October 1944, the Haggard took part in the invasion of the Philippines. On the morning of October 25, the Haggard was near Leyte Gulf when a force of Japanese warships appeared unexpectedly and
launched an attack on the U.S. ships in the area. During the battle, the crew of the Haggard fended off a Japanese heavy bomber and took many near misses from salvos fired by the Japanese ships.

From November 1944 – March 1945, the Haggard was engaged in combat operations in the Philippines, Formosa, Indochina, the Japanese mainland, and Iwo Jima.
On March 22, the Haggard headed for Okinawa when she made radar contact with what turned out to be another Japanese submarine. The Haggard fired 11 depth charges causing the submarine to surface just 1,500 yards away. The Haggard’s captain ordered the ship to ram the submarine, causing it to sink to the ocean’s bottom.

After undergoing repairs to damage caused by ramming the Japanese submarine, the Haggard arrived near the coast of Okinawa on April 29. Suddenly, a Japanese fighter plane emerged from the low cloud cover and crashed into the Haggard, causing an explosion in the forward engine room.

There were 51 U.S. casualties from the kamikaze attack. One of those was Frank E. Roubicek, who, by then, had earned the rank of WT3c. Frank was moved to the U.S.S. San Diego for medical treatment. However, his wounds were too much to overcome and he passed away on May 2, 1945. He was 20 years old.

Initially buried at the 1st Marine Division Cemetery #1 on Okinawa, WT3c Frank E. Roubicek was returned to Omaha in 1949 where he was laid to rest at St. Mary’s Cemetery.