Woody Franklin enlisted in the Marine Corps in Minneapolis on March 8, 1965, and upon graduation from boot camp was assigned the MOS of 0311 Basic Infantry.

He served in Vietnam with Hotel 2/3 (Hotel Company 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines, 3rd marine Division) and Lima 3/9 (Lima Company 3rd Battalion 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division) from October 1965 to October 1967.

Franklin is what the Marine Corps calls a "Mustanger," an individual who has come up through the ranks from enlisted to Officer. As an Enlisted Marine he reached the rank of E-7 Gunnery Sergeant, applied for Warrant Officer was selected and achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4th class (CWO4).

Franklin then applied for the LDO (Limited Duty Officer) Program and was selected and promoted to 1st Lieutenant (never was a 2nd Lieutenant) and retired at the rank of major in May 1987.