We are honoured to publish the video of the Masterclass lectured by US Army Colonel (R) Mark Franklin. A lecture hold within the framework of the Master’s Degree in Military History of INISEG, the International Institute for Studies on Global Security.
This Masterclass is part of the commemorative events marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War (1975). Iniseg is actively participating in this commemoration as an official partner of the Vietnam War Commemoration Partner Program 2025.
In this insightful lecture, our guest will present the 50th Anniversary Commemoration Project for the End of the Vietnam War. Since recent years, Americans are coming together to thank and honor Vietnam War veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. This is the primary focus of the Vietnam War Commemoration of the United States of America, a national level commemoration project authorized by Congress, established at the direction of the Secretary of Defense and launched by President Obama in 2012. Since then, thousands of organizations (Memorial Partners) have joined it to honor the 7 million US veterans of the Vietnam War and the 10 million families of those who served in it.
COL (R) Mark Franklin was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant Infantry Officer in 1980. He was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division, Ft. Lewis Washington, where he served as a weapons platoon leader, Light Attack Vehicle platoon leader and finally as Battalion S4. After two Company Command tours, he joined the Army’s Foreign Area Officer (FAO) training program. During which, he earned a M.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Indiana University and attended the Korean Basic Language Course at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.
His training culminated with his attendance at the Republic of Korea Army Staff College in Chin’e-Gu. Then he was assigned as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commander, South Korea-US Combined Forces Command. He served in the Joint Staff, J2 (Intelligence) during the 9-11 attack on the Pentagon in 2001. After that he served in the China Policy Officer, Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, and in 2004 led a team into North Korea on a 10-day oversight mission to monitor the recovery efforts of missing Korean War veterans. In 2008, he deployed to Pakistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, serving as the U.S. Army Liaison Officer to the Pakistan Army and Chief of Staff for the Office, Defense Representative Pakistan.
His last assignment was to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Asia and Pacific Security Affairs, as the Senior Country Director for China, responsible for developing U.S. policy for the military-to-military relationship with China. He retired from the Army on January 2012 after 30 years of service. He currently leads the History and Legacy Branch for the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration, providing the public with a clearer understanding and appreciation of the service and sacrifice of Vietnam War veterans.
Blog GRIP will keep publishing a selection of Masterclasses and lectures on military history and armed conflicts, with a special emphasis, albeit not exclusive, on the Vietnam War (the Second Indochina War), direct consequence and legacy of the First Indochina War, a conflict taught by Professor Juanjo Alarcón in the Master’s Degree in Contemporary Military Conflicts, whose video presentation is also available on Blog Grip. Incidentally, Prof. Juanjo Alarcón is the host of these lectures.
We truly hope that this series of selected lectures may spark your interest in the topics presented in each one of them. And since they are all part of the Area on Security and Defense and the Master’s Degree in Military History of INISEG, we provide you with the links to INISEG’s academic offer directly related to the lectures we publish:
