Wendell Phillips Ela was born March 9, 1922 in Grand Junction, Colorado to Wendell Dennett Ela and Lucy Brainerd (Ferril) Ela. He was baptized June 11, 1922 at the First Presbyterian Church in Grand Junction. Wendell and Lucy were married June 15, 1914 in Denver and had five sons; Dennett Keith, Thomas Ferril, Wendell Phillips, William Machary and Charles Sumner. Wendell Dennett was a cashier at US Bank of Grand Junction.

Wendell attended school in Grand Junction and graduated from Grand Junction High School in 1940. He participated in band and the ski club while attending high school. Following graduation he attended Mesa College.

On June 30, 1942 Wendell registered for the draft. He was employed with Pando Construction and was described as 5’11”, 170 with ruddy complexion, brown eyes and brown hair.

He enlisted in the US Marine Corp September 20, 1942 with the 20/30 Club platoon from Grand Junction. Boot camp was in San Diego. He was accepted for raider training, which occurred at Camp Pendleton, California. Wendell served as a Private First Class with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 6th Marine Division. He went overseas in February 1943 and saw action in the Solomon Islands, Guam, Emirau Island and Okinawa. He was a member of the First Provisional Marine Brigade (later known as the 6th Marine Division). The brigade was awarded the Navy Unit commendation for outstanding heroism in Guam.

Wendell was a modest, retiring young man and never spoke of the citation. The last letter his family received from him was May 7, 1945, he was killed in action in Okinawa May 21, 1945.

His original burial was in the Okinawa 6th Marine Division Cemetery No. 1, Ryukyu. He was repatriated to Hawaii in 1949 and buried in his final resting place in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu on March 4, 1949. He was survived by his parents and four brothers, two of which were serving in the US Navy at that time.

He is remembered in the Orchard Mesa Cemetery in Grand Junction and the Colorado Freedom Memorial in Aurora, Colorado.

Thank you, PFC Ela, for your service and sacrifice.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Sources

Ancestry.com. Colorado, County Marriage Records and State Index, 1862-2006 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016

Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014.

Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

National Cemetery Administration. U.S., Veterans' Gravesites, ca.1775-2019 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2019. (The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO, June 2, 1945)

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Ancestry.com. U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

On April 1, 1945, some 60,000 U.S. troops landed on the beaches, where they met with little resistance. However, more than 77,000 Japanese troops of the 32d Army were on the island under the command of Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima, who withdrew his soldiers to the southern section of the island where the Japanese held out for nearly three months hiding in the jungle and in caves, and engaging the Americans in intense guerilla warfare. Some 12,000 American lives and 110,000 Japanese lives were lost in the campaign. To avoid the dishonor of enemy capture, General Ushijima committed ritual suicide on June 23 as approaching U.S. forces were mopping up pockets of Japanese resistance.

The attack on Okinawa had taken a heavy toll on both sides. The Americans lost 7,373 men killed and 32,056 wounded on land. At sea, the Americans lost 5,000 killed and 4,600 wounded. The Japanese lost 107,000 killed and 7,400 men taken prisoner. It is possible that the Japanese lost another 20,000 dead as a result of American tactics whereby Japanese troops were incinerated where they fought.

The Americans also lost 36 ships. 368 ships were also damaged. 763 aircraft were destroyed. The Japanese lost 16 ships sunk and over 4,000 aircraft were lost.

Ela, Wendell Phillips, PFC