Ensign Morris Henry Keltner was born 17 July 1914 in Homestead, Barton County, Kansas to Cecil (1887-1966) and Katherine nee Ford (1888-1957) Keltner. They farmed. Morris was one of seven children: Chester, Earl, Marvin, Harold, Raymond and Velma. Harold was in the Navy during WWII and came home.

Morris graduated from high school around 1932. It appears he enlisted in the Navy 20 Mar 1933. He trained at San Diego, California, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and New London, Connecticut. He was a Quartermaster on S-23 from Mar 1939 to July 1940; then on the Memphis CL-13 from Sept 1940 through Oct 1940; and finally assigned to the USS Trout (SS-202) a submarine on Nov 1940. (His service number before becoming Ensign was 3418291) At some point he was promoted to Ensign, when his service number changed.

Wikipedia article:

“USS Trout (SS-202) was the fifth Tambor-class submarine commissioned in the United States Navy, serving in the Pacific from 1941 to 1944. She was launched on 21 May 1940. She received 11 battle stars for World War II service and three Presidential Unit Citations, for her second, third, and fifth war patrols. Trout also delivered ammunition to the besieged American forces on Corregidor and brought out 20 tons of gold bars and silver pesos from the Philippine currency reserve to Pearl Harbor. During 1941, she was used as a target by a series of tests determining the vulnerability of submarines to depth charge attacks.

“Trout is credited with sinking 12 enemy ships for 37,144 tons according to JANAC records. During her first ten war patrols she made 32 torpedo attacks, firing 85 torpedoes, including 34 hits, 5 confirmed premature detonations, 5 confirmed duds, and 25 suspected duds. She was also involved in six battle surface actions and was attacked with depth charges eight times. She was reported overdue on 17 April 1944 and presumed lost with all hands on her eleventh war patrol. ”

ENS Keltner was on the USS Trout and identified as dead on 17 Apr 1944, at age 29, in the Philippine Sea. He is remembered on the Court of the Missing, Honolulu, Hawaii. He also has a gravestone at Hoisington Cemetery, Hoisington, Barton County, Kansas. He was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

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 421,000+ US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find a Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of the WWII fallen. SBTSProject/Kansas/Barton

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Sources:

Find a grave/Kansas: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84036700/morris-henry-keltner

Find a Grave/Hawaii: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141438045/morris-henry-keltner

US Military Register: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2345/images/40014_1821100517_0535-00234?backurl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.ancestry.com%252Ffamily-tree%252Fperson%252Ftree%252F27486300%252Fperson%252F26653808437%252Ffacts%252Fcitation%252F902520667146%252Fedit%252Frecord&pid=343197

1940 census: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/M-T0627-04586-00875?backurl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.ancestry.com%252Ffamily-tree%252Fperson%252Ftree%252F27486300%252Fperson%252F26653808437%252Ffacts%252Fcitation%252F125232548059%252Fedit%252Frecord&pid=78950027

1930 census: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4584449_00956?backurl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.ancestry.com%252Ffamily-tree%252Fperson%252Ftree%252F27486300%252Fperson%252F26653808437%252Ffacts%252Fcitation%252F125232547791%252Fedit%252Frecord&pid=32404132

1930 census: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4300841_00613?backurl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.ancestry.com%252Ffamily-tree%252Fperson%252Ftree%252F27486300%252Fperson%252F26653808437%252Ffacts%252Fcitation%252F125232547753%252Fedit%252Frecord&pid=64926277

WWII Navy Casualties: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/45327:1122?tid=&pid=&queryId=26c59d20faa733d79e05c009d7135a85&_phsrc=aYX7&_phstart=successSource

Unaccounted for Remains: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2597:62207?tid=&pid=&queryId=26c59d20faa733d79e05c009d7135a85&_phsrc=aYX8&_phstart=successSource

Navy Muster Roll June 1939: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/20391193:1143?tid=&pid=&queryId=26c59d20faa733d79e05c009d7135a85&_phsrc=aYX10&_phstart=successSource

Navy Muster Roll March 1939: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/20390802:1143?tid=&pid=&queryId=d680e5300fd4684cbd481160ed8beae5&_phsrc=aYX13&_phstart=successSource

Eternal Patrol: http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-trout-202.htm

Keltner, Morris Henry, ENS