Francis “Frank” Raymond Schwagel, aka Frank Anton Schwagel was born on October 25, 1917 in Richmond, Stearns County, Minnesota. His parents Frank (1873-1962) and Franciscka Hammer (1883-1958) they were also both born in Minnesota. His paternal grandparents were from Austria. His father worked as a farmer. Frank had seven older sisters and three older brothers. He also had one younger sister. He was married to Veronica in 1943. She remarried and died in 2012 at 92.

He was working as a farm laborer in October 1940 when he registered. He then enlisted in the Army Air Forces. Served during World War II. He had the rank of Staff Sergeant. Service number was 37278873. Served with 95th Bomber Group, Heavy, 335th Bomber Squadron as a Left Waist Gunner

Schwagel was reported missing and ultimately declared dead on June 13, 1943. He was on the crew of the B-17F #42-29763 during a mission to hit the U-boat yards at Bremen, Germany. Their plane collided with another bomber in their group #42-30118 over Kiel and they crashed into the Baltic Sea coast of Heiliegenhafen, Germany. This was a costly mission for the 95th Bomb Group with 22 of 76 bombers lost that day.

On June 13, 1943 Sgt. Schwagel's plane was part of a mission of 76 bombers sent to bomb naval facilities at Kiel. For the first and only time during the war the 95th BG used a "Forrest formation." Instead of the standard box formation, the 26 planes from the 95th BG came in wingtip to wingtip. It lost 10 of its planes, the highest percentage loss from one bomb group on one mission at that point in the war. One of those killed was Nathan Bedford Forrest III, the brigadier general in command of the 95th BG (His great-grandfather was the controversial calvary Confederate general who shared his name). It turned out that lining up bombers like a calvary charge was a bad idea.

Frank Raymond Schwagel is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.