Staff Sergeant Ellard Born

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Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was doing some research on family history. It turns out i had five uncles who served during WWII, the most interesting was Staff Sergeant Ellard Born who served in the 35th ID. I didn't know much about him until recently, here is what I've been able to uncover about his story so far:

 

Ellard was drafted in the Army on 18 Feb 1941, and according to my uncle was in the first group of draftees from Pierce County, Nebraska. He was assigned to the Anti-Tank Company of the 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division. The 134th Infantry was a Nebraska National Guard unit that was called to active duty on 23 Dec 1940. He and went to basic training in 1941 with the unit at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Little Rock, Arkansas. His Army Serial # as 37034615.

 

The 134th was sent to California and engaged in coastal defense. It served in several locations:

 

Ford Ord, California on 23 Dec 1941, 16 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Camp San Luis Obispo, California on 17 Jan 1942.

Presidio of San Francisco, California on 26 Mar 1942.

Inglewood Los Angeles California on 24 Apr 1942.

Ojai, California on 19 May 1942.

Returned to Camp San Luis Obispo, California on 19 Jan 1943.

 

 

The entire Division moved to Camp Rucker, Alabama on 17 Mar 1943 for advanced combat training. The unit participated in the Tennessee Maneuvers starting 17 Nov 1943 and then was send to Camp Butner, North Carolina on 21 Jan 1944.

 

In preparation to go overseas the Division staged at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey on 2 May 44 and departed the Port of New York on 12 May 1944 in a large convoy headed for Liverpool, England. The 134th sailed on the S.S. General A.E. Anderson.

 

The 134th arrive in England on 25 May 1944. The Anti-Tank Company was billeted with several families near Lands End, Cornwall, the most westerly point of mainland England. I happened across a photo of him today with his Company on an excellent website devoted to the 134th Inf: http://www.coulthart.com/134/photo19.htm

 

He arrived at Omaha Beach, Normandy, France on 5 July 1944, through choppy waters, a day less than a month after D-Day (6 Jun 44).

 

Family lore is that it that his platoon leader was killed in combat and he ended up leading the platoon. I know little about his combat service but this is what I was able to glean from unit histories. Again stories from the family were that he was in the thick of fighting.

 

On July 16th, the 134th Infantry Regiment, commanded by Col. (later Gen.) Butler M. Miltonberger, and made up largely of Nebraska National Guardsmen, was released from Corps Reserve and entered the attack on St Lo, France. The Regiment captured Hill 122 which overlooked St. Lo, taking the town of Emilic in hand to hand fighting. After the breakout from the St Lo area the Regiment swept across France.

 

Sometime during the campaign in France a hip injury forced Ellard to leave the battlefield. Again family lore was that he laid on the battlefield for days before he was evacuated. It may be possible that he was evacuated from near the area of the Moselle or Seille Rivers (Sep 44) in eastern France where this unit saw combat. He was hospitalized in Paris, then England and flown to Newfoundland.

 

Unfortunately Staff Sergeant Ellard Born died on 15 Jan 1945 at Fitzsimons Army Hospital, Colorado due to a tumor of the bone. He died at 26 Years, 7 Months and 20 Days. To cap it off Ellard is of Old German origin, meaning nobly brave.

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It seems appropriate to bump this up for Memorial Day. Now I need to get off my butt and order his file from NARA.

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His Gravestone in Plainview, Nebraska