Trey W. Franklin (Staff Sergeant - Retired) enlisted in the Army in April 1988 from Amarillo, TX. After Initial Entry Training at Fort Dix, NJ with the 5th Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, and then at Fort Sill, OK, with the 2nd Battalion, 80th Field Artillery Regiment, he was assigned to South Korea in the 2nd Infantry Division and the Field Artillery Battalion responsible for the United Nations and US areas of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. He served as a Surveyor for the 1st Battalion, 4th Field Artillery Regiment (155mm Towed Cannon) and as a Forward Observer for the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment. He attended and graduated the US Army Special Forces Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) course in South Korea in 1989. SSG (Staff Sergeant) Franklin participated in many missions inside the Demilitarized Zone during this assignment.

Following his tour in South Korea, he was stationed at Fort Polk, LA in 1990, with duty as a Team Leader and Squad Leader with the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in Battery H, 25th Field Artillery Regiment (Target Acquisition). During his time in this assignment, SSG Franklin was detached to both the 5th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment (155mm Self Propelled Cannon) and Battery C, 21st Field Artillery Regiment (Multiple Launch Rocket System), participating in many live fire exercises and training deployments with all of these units. SSG Franklin was also certified in Light Infantry Weapons Supervision and Repair during this assignment. SSG Franklin was also the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the 5th Infantry Division Ceremonial Cannon Detachment, firing 75mm Field Howitzers from World War II, and participated in ceremonial and burial duties throughout the southern United States during this assignment.

In 1993, SSG Franklin was transferred to Fort Hood, TX as part of the 2nd Armored Division, and became a part of Battery A, 26th Field Artillery Regiment (Target Acquisition), which was later consolidated into the 9th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment (Provisional), as part of the Army Force Modernization known as Force XXI. While serving at Fort Hood, he played a key role in the testing and fielding of several new communications and fire-control systems for the Army in both the 2nd Armored Division and later the 4th Infantry Division. He participated in many exercises at Fort Hood, TX, Fort Carson, CO, Fort Knox, KY, and Fort Irwin, CA. Many of the new items and equipment tested during this time are in use today in Iraq and Afghanistan (including the UAV, EPLRS, FBCB2, and ASIP, along with AFATDS and other new fire control data systems). The US Air Force and the Department of the Army also certified SSG Franklin as a Joint Deployment Officer during this assignment, and he served as the Unit Movement Officer, Strategic Unit Movement Planner, and the Deputy Training Standards Officer in addition to his role as a Section Chief.

In 1996, SSG Franklin was again assigned to South Korea, this time serving as a Team Chief in a Patriot Missile Battalion with the 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (Patriot), as part of the Eighth US Army, and later the 6th Cavalry Brigade. SSG Franklin was responsible for surveying the entire Long Range Air Defense system in the Republic of South Korea as the Army transformed all navigation and map systems to the World Geodetic System in 1997. During this assignment, SSG Franklin was the NCOIC of the 8th Army FA Survey Information Center for the Korean Peninsula.

Upon his return to the US in 1997, he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, TX, as the Chief Surveyor for Headquarters, 4th Infantry Division Artillery (Mechanized). As the Chief Surveyor for the Division Artillery, SSG Franklin was the senior advisor to the Division command and staff for Artillery Surveying operations, and was responsible for the training and oversight of 4 subordinate Battalion Survey sections, comprised of approximately 30 personnel and over 50 million dollars in equipment. SSG Franklin also served as the Deputy Training Standards Officer and the Physical Security NCO in addition to his role as Chief Surveyor.

In 1999 he was tasked to take over the survey section for the newly Paladin-equipped Artillery Battalion with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, as part of the first Digital Brigade in the Army, with the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment (155mm SP Cannon). SSG Franklin was twice awarded the Order of the Wolf at the National Training Center for his efforts and performance with the 1st Brigade Combat Team. During the period from 1999 to 2003, SSG Franklin personally prevented several live fire incidents by swift action while his unit was engaged in live ammunition training. His reliability and professional performance and skill are widely known in the Army Field Artillery community. He also served as the Physical Security NCO for Headquarters Battery, and the Training and Schools NCO for the Battalion.

SSG Franklin deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom in March of 2003. While serving in Iraq with the 1st (Raider) Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, he served as an Entry Team Leader, and participated in scores of raids, patrols and ambushes while serving in the Tikrit area of Iraq, located at Forward Operating Base Arrow near Ad Dawr. He was also chosen to be the Battalion Sniper for his unit, the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, trained 4 other sniper teams, and served as a Sniper Team Leader. His unit was also a participant in Operation Red Dawn, which resulted in the capture of Saddam Hussein. SSG Franklin was recognized for valor while leading a night-time assault against an enemy force that had pinned down members of his unit. No member of SSG Franklin's squad or team suffered any injuries during the yearlong deployment, although 4 members of his Battery were Killed In Action, and several were Wounded in Action. He returned to the US with the 4th Infantry Division to Fort Hood, TX in March 2004. He was awarded the Combat Action Badge for combat actions throughout his tour in Iraq.

The Department of the Army selected SSG Franklin for Recruiting duty shortly after his return to the US in 2004. Upon completion of the Recruiter Course at Fort Jackson, SC, he was assigned to the US Army Recruiting Command, and further to the Sacramento Recruiting Battalion with duty in Placerville, CA. He served as a Recruiter and Assistant Station Commander for the Placerville Recruiting Station from 2004 to 2006, and was promoted to Station Commander, serving as the senior Recruiter from 2006 to 2008. During this assignment, SSG Franklin enlisted 75 new soldiers into the Army, and supervised 3 recruiters covering over 2000 square miles in the Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Foothills, between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe.

SSG Franklin has attended a vast number of Army schools. He was the Honor Graduate for the Warrior Leader Course (PLDC), and the Distinguished Honor Graduate for the Field Artillery Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course. His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4th Award), Army Achievement Medal (10th Award), the Good Conduct Medal (6th Award), the Combat Action Badge, and the Valorous Unit Award. He has also earned the National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with 2 bronze stars, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 2, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 3, the Army Superior Unit Award, and the Former Wartime Service Identification Badge 4th Infantry Division. SSG Franklin was also awarded the Silver Recruiter Badge with 3 Gold Stars, the Gold Recruiter Badge with 3 Sapphire Stars, the Recruiter Ring, the Glen E. Morrell Recruiting Excellence Medallion, and he holds the Expert Qualification Badges for Pistol, Rifle, Automatic Rifle, Submachine Gun, Machinegun, and Hand Grenade.

SSG Franklin has a BS in Business Management.

SSG Franklin retired from Active Duty after over 20 years of service on 1 July 2008, and worked for the Department of the Army as a civilian at the Sacramento Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) until June of 2012.
In 2014, SSG Franklin worked for the VA in Texas until early 2016, when he retired again. He was awarded his 25 year federal service lapel pin while working with the VA.

Trey W. Franklin (Staff Sergeant - Retired) enlisted in the Army in April 1988 from Amarillo, TX. After Initial Entry Training at Fort Dix, NJ with the 5th Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, and then at Fort Sill, OK, with the 2nd Battalion, 80th Field Artillery Regiment, he was assigned to South Korea in the 2nd Infantry Division and the Field Artillery Battalion responsible for the United Nations and US areas of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. He served as a Surveyor for the 1st Battalion, 4th Field Artillery Regiment (155mm Towed Cannon) and as a Forward Observer for the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment. He attended and graduated the US Army Special Forces Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) course in South Korea in 1989. SSG (Staff Sergeant) Franklin participated in many missions inside the Demilitarized Zone during this assignment.

Following his tour in South Korea, he was stationed at Fort Polk, LA in 1990, with duty as a Team Leader and Squad Leader with the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in Battery H, 25th Field Artillery Regiment (Target Acquisition). During his time in this assignment, SSG Franklin was detached to both the 5th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment (155mm Self Propelled Cannon) and Battery C, 21st Field Artillery Regiment (Multiple Launch Rocket System), participating in many live fire exercises and training deployments with all of these units. SSG Franklin was also certified in Light Infantry Weapons Supervision and Repair during this assignment. SSG Franklin was also the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the 5th Infantry Division Ceremonial Cannon Detachment, firing 75mm Field Howitzers from World War II, and participated in ceremonial and burial duties throughout the southern United States during this assignment.

In 1993, SSG Franklin was transferred to Fort Hood, TX as part of the 2nd Armored Division, and became a part of Battery A, 26th Field Artillery Regiment (Target Acquisition), which was later consolidated into the 9th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment (Provisional), as part of the Army Force Modernization known as Force XXI. While serving at Fort Hood, he played a key role in the testing and fielding of several new communications and fire-control systems for the Army in both the 2nd Armored Division and later the 4th Infantry Division. He participated in many exercises at Fort Hood, TX, Fort Carson, CO, Fort Knox, KY, and Fort Irwin, CA. Many of the new items and equipment tested during this time are in use today in Iraq and Afghanistan (including the UAV, EPLRS, FBCB2, and ASIP, along with AFATDS and other new fire control data systems). The US Air Force and the Department of the Army also certified SSG Franklin as a Joint Deployment Officer during this assignment, and he served as the Unit Movement Officer, Strategic Unit Movement Planner, and the Deputy Training Standards Officer in addition to his role as a Section Chief.

In 1996, SSG Franklin was again assigned to South Korea, this time serving as a Team Chief in a Patriot Missile Battalion with the 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (Patriot), as part of the Eighth US Army, and later the 6th Cavalry Brigade. SSG Franklin was responsible for surveying the entire Long Range Air Defense system in the Republic of South Korea as the Army transformed all navigation and map systems to the World Geodetic System in 1997. During this assignment, SSG Franklin was the NCOIC of the 8th Army FA Survey Information Center for the Korean Peninsula.

Upon his return to the US in 1997, he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, TX, as the Chief Surveyor for Headquarters, 4th Infantry Division Artillery (Mechanized). As the Chief Surveyor for the Division Artillery, SSG Franklin was the senior advisor to the Division command and staff for Artillery Surveying operations, and was responsible for the training and oversight of 4 subordinate Battalion Survey sections, comprised of approximately 30 personnel and over 50 million dollars in equipment. SSG Franklin also served as the Deputy Training Standards Officer and the Physical Security NCO in addition to his role as Chief Surveyor.

In 1999 he was tasked to take over the survey section for the newly Paladin-equipped Artillery Battalion with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, as part of the first Digital Brigade in the Army, with the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment (155mm SP Cannon). SSG Franklin was twice awarded the Order of the Wolf at the National Training Center for his efforts and performance with the 1st Brigade Combat Team. During the period from 1999 to 2003, SSG Franklin personally prevented several live fire incidents by swift action while his unit was engaged in live ammunition training. His reliability and professional performance and skill are widely known in the Army Field Artillery community. He also served as the Physical Security NCO for Headquarters Battery, and the Training and Schools NCO for the Battalion.

SSG Franklin deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom in March of 2003. While serving in Iraq with the 1st (Raider) Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, he served as an Entry Team Leader, and participated in scores of raids, patrols and ambushes while serving in the Tikrit area of Iraq, located at Forward Operating Base Arrow near Ad Dawr. He was also chosen to be the Battalion Sniper for his unit, the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, trained 4 other sniper teams, and served as a Sniper Team Leader. His unit was also a participant in Operation Red Dawn, which resulted in the capture of Saddam Hussein. SSG Franklin was recognized for valor while leading a night-time assault against an enemy force that had pinned down members of his unit. No member of SSG Franklin's squad or team suffered any injuries during the yearlong deployment, although 4 members of his Battery were Killed In Action, and several were Wounded in Action. He returned to the US with the 4th Infantry Division to Fort Hood, TX in March 2004. He was awarded the Combat Action Badge for combat actions throughout his tour in Iraq.

The Department of the Army selected SSG Franklin for Recruiting duty shortly after his return to the US in 2004. Upon completion of the Recruiter Course at Fort Jackson, SC, he was assigned to the US Army Recruiting Command, and further to the Sacramento Recruiting Battalion with duty in Placerville, CA. He served as a Recruiter and Assistant Station Commander for the Placerville Recruiting Station from 2004 to 2006, and was promoted to Station Commander, serving as the senior Recruiter from 2006 to 2008. During this assignment, SSG Franklin enlisted 75 new soldiers into the Army, and supervised 3 recruiters covering over 2000 square miles in the Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Foothills, between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe.

SSG Franklin has attended a vast number of Army schools. He was the Honor Graduate for the Warrior Leader Course (PLDC), and the Distinguished Honor Graduate for the Field Artillery Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course. His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4th Award), Army Achievement Medal (10th Award), the Good Conduct Medal (6th Award), the Combat Action Badge, and the Valorous Unit Award. He has also earned the National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with 2 bronze stars, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 2, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 3, the Army Superior Unit Award, and the Former Wartime Service Identification Badge 4th Infantry Division. SSG Franklin was also awarded the Silver Recruiter Badge with 3 Gold Stars, the Gold Recruiter Badge with 3 Sapphire Stars, the Recruiter Ring, the Glen E. Morrell Recruiting Excellence Medallion, and he holds the Expert Qualification Badges for Pistol, Rifle, Automatic Rifle, Submachine Gun, Machinegun, and Hand Grenade.

SSG Franklin has a BS in Business Management.

SSG Franklin retired from Active Duty after over 20 years of service on 1 July 2008, and worked for the Department of the Army as a civilian at the Sacramento Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) until June of 2012.
In 2014, SSG Franklin worked for the VA in Texas until early 2016, when he retired again. He was awarded his 25 year federal service lapel pin while working with the VA.