WWII Veteran Turns 103, Celebrates Family Legacy of Service

Allen was born January 23, 1920, in Dalton, Missouri, where he graduated from the Dalton Vocational High School. After graduation, he pursued a degree at Lincoln University for three semesters before the Army drafted his number in 1942.

Allen reported to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on July 25, 1942, for initial training before being assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas. There he worked at the post headquarters and served as the post bugler until he was deployed to Europe in 1944.

As a member of the 957th Quartermaster Company in England, he helped set up the first Petroleum, Oil and Lubrication depot at Utah Beach. While there, his unit was tasked with gathering and processing the bodies of American service members who died when their ship was either torpedoed or hit a mine in the English Channel. He can still recall the copper-like odor left on the clothing of the African American Soldiers who handled the deceased.

In December of 1944, Allen’s unit moved to Nancy, France, where they took over a German Prisoner of War camp until the end of the war. In 1945, after the war ended, Allen left the Army and moved back to Slater, Missouri, but he still felt a need to serve. In 1947, he reenlisted, and attended administration school in Fort Lee, Virginia.

Allen was assigned to the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington from 1948 to 1950, when he deployed with the 503rd to Korea. Allen recalls arriving in Pusan on an August afternoon and joining his first fire mission by sunset. On December 1, 1950, his unit was overrun by enemy forces at Kunu-Ri Pass, near the Chinese border. Allen became a prisoner of war.

During his first winter of internment, Allen witnessed approximately 1,200 American Soldiers lose the battle to starvation and malnutrition. The freezing temperatures made it difficult to dig deep enough graves for the deceased and he remembers, vividly, helping to rebury his fallen comrades in the spring. Allen remained a prisoner of war for 33 months, until he was released on October 5, 1953.

Allen’s youngest son, Jeffery, said when he refused to finish his dinner as a child, his father would often tell of the skinny, malnourished Soldiers who didn’t make it out of the Prisoner of War camps in Korea. The depth of his sorrow would remind his children to be thankful of what they had, and those who had died protecting their freedoms.

Despite his experiences as a POW, Allen continued serving and reclassified as a communication non-commissioned officer. In 1965, he was stationed in Bamberg, West Germany, when his wife of 23 years, Arzelia, passed away. Overnight, he found himself facing a new struggle: balancing his career in the Army and being a single parent of five children.

After her passing, the Army sent the Allen family stateside, to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri where he joined the 5th Construction Battalion. It wasn’t long before they were called to join the fighting in Vietnam. With two wars and 23 years of service already under his belt, Allen had invaluable leadership experience to offer in the war-torn country, but as the only non-commissioned officer in the Army at the time who was also an only parent, the Army chose to keep Allen home with his family.

In 1968, after 26 years of service to his country, Allen retired from the Army and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he went to work for the Bendix Corporation as an electrical inspector. During his 17-year career there, Allen worked on modifying fire sets for the Minutemen Missile, and tested electronic components of the Pershing Missile, among other projects, until his retirement in 1985.

Allen married Bettie in 1971 and added four stepchildren to his family. His example as a Soldier instilled a strong sense of service in his family that has been passed down through the generations. His two oldest sons went on to become Vietnam Veterans, another joined the Air Force, and his youngest, Jeffery, climbed the Army ranks to Colonel before retiring.  

Today, the Allen family tradition of service continues through his granddaughter, a commissioned Army officer who will put on the rank of Captain this summer. Allen’s love for his country is matched only by his love for family. At 103 years old, his is the proud father of nine, grandfather of 19 and great-grandfather of 13.

The Caregiver Support Program staff at the Washington DC VA Medical Center has relished in hearing about Allen’s life experiences over the years. For them, he serves yet again, as a tangible reminder of why VA’s Caregiver Support Program exists: to support Veterans and their families who dedicated their lives to protect and serve.

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The Washington DC VA Medical Center Care Team wishes Veteran Ellis Allen a Happy 103rd Birthday and thanks him for his many years of service!