With a strong sense of adventure and curiosity Franklin joined Civil Air Patrol at the age of 13. He learned military concepts and discipline. His most exciting experience was learning to fly single engine aircraft where his passion for air travel began. His sense of national pride led him to enlist in the US Air Force at the age of 19. He was trained as a military medical corpsman traveling to Alabama, North Africa and Europe. His last assignment was as the supervisor of the emergency room for the dependent clinic at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.