thedrifter
05-08-05, 02:54 PM
Marines to honor World War I hero
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By Al Alingh
Special to the Pratt Tribune
At the Pentagon's request, the the inspector/instructor staff from MarineCorps Reserve Center in Wichita will provide a full military honor service for Lt. Col. Earl "Pete" Ellis at the Pratt B-29 All Veterans Memorial. The service will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Memorial Day to dedicate a special Lt. Col. Earl Ellis display now under construction.
One of the reasons for the new display being constructed at the B-29 All Veterans Memorial is because until November 2004, Lt. Col. Ellis ashes were buried in Pratt Greenlawn Cemetery. At that time, the ashes were exhumed and sent to Washington D.C. and buried with full military honors, including band and fly over, in Arlington Cemetery.
This happened because a retired Marine felt that Lt. Col. Ellis did not get the recognition he deserved and has spent the past several years trying to get Ellis awarded the Medal of Honor. For a variety of reasons this project was held in limbo for several years, but behind the scenes many people were involved.
This subject came to the forefront again, when Lt. Col. Ellis' nephew, Pratt Veterinarian Earl Gatz, was informed that the Pentagon had made a decision to bury Ellis's ashes in Arlington Cemetery.
A bronze plaque in recognition of Lt. Col. Ellis' contribution to military science is displayed at the Quantico, Virginia Marine Base. The sign in front of the Pratt VFW building also bears his name. The addition of a special Ellis memorial at the flag pole in the B-29 All Veterans Memorial site will help better cement Lt. Col Ellis's memory in the Pratt area.
Lt. Col. Ellis is considered a 20th century military genius. During his military career, Ellis was awarded the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre with Palme by the French Government, the Victory Metal with numerous citations by the British Government and the Distinguished Service Cross by the United States Navy.
Earl "Pete" Ellis was born in luka, Kansas and was one of eight children of Augustus W. and Katherine E. Ellis. He attended Pratt Public schools. After his graduation, in 1900, he "hitched" a ride by rail to Chicago where he enlisted in the Marine Corps.
His rise in rank was rapid. Five months after he enlisted he became a corporal, then he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant by the end of the same year, 1901. He joined the 1st Marine Brigade in the Philippines after completing his officer training at the Boston Navy yard in 1902.
In 1903 Lieutenant Ellis became one of the officers of the Marine Guard serving on the battleship Kentucky, the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. He receive his promotion to First Lieutenant in 1904 which began with a second tour in the Philippines. There he became identified with the Marine Corps Advance Base Force which, in the event of war, was assigned the task of seizing and defending advance bases.
Ellis spent much of his time studying the area of the Pacific and in 1908, when he was promoted to the rank of Captain, he served as the Advance Base Officer responsible for the defenses of Grande Island in Subic Bay. He later returned to the Philippines and by 1911 had earned a reputation for brilliance and devotion to duty.
He attended the U.S. Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island, and remained there as a member of the permanent staff. During this time he wrote a seminal study on Advance Base Theory. Ellis then served as the Intelligence Officer of the Advance Base Brigade in Puerto Rico where, in 1914, he set up an extensive defense system. Later, he was sent to Guam to supervise the establishment of permanent defenses.
Ellie
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By Al Alingh
Special to the Pratt Tribune
At the Pentagon's request, the the inspector/instructor staff from MarineCorps Reserve Center in Wichita will provide a full military honor service for Lt. Col. Earl "Pete" Ellis at the Pratt B-29 All Veterans Memorial. The service will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Memorial Day to dedicate a special Lt. Col. Earl Ellis display now under construction.
One of the reasons for the new display being constructed at the B-29 All Veterans Memorial is because until November 2004, Lt. Col. Ellis ashes were buried in Pratt Greenlawn Cemetery. At that time, the ashes were exhumed and sent to Washington D.C. and buried with full military honors, including band and fly over, in Arlington Cemetery.
This happened because a retired Marine felt that Lt. Col. Ellis did not get the recognition he deserved and has spent the past several years trying to get Ellis awarded the Medal of Honor. For a variety of reasons this project was held in limbo for several years, but behind the scenes many people were involved.
This subject came to the forefront again, when Lt. Col. Ellis' nephew, Pratt Veterinarian Earl Gatz, was informed that the Pentagon had made a decision to bury Ellis's ashes in Arlington Cemetery.
A bronze plaque in recognition of Lt. Col. Ellis' contribution to military science is displayed at the Quantico, Virginia Marine Base. The sign in front of the Pratt VFW building also bears his name. The addition of a special Ellis memorial at the flag pole in the B-29 All Veterans Memorial site will help better cement Lt. Col Ellis's memory in the Pratt area.
Lt. Col. Ellis is considered a 20th century military genius. During his military career, Ellis was awarded the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre with Palme by the French Government, the Victory Metal with numerous citations by the British Government and the Distinguished Service Cross by the United States Navy.
Earl "Pete" Ellis was born in luka, Kansas and was one of eight children of Augustus W. and Katherine E. Ellis. He attended Pratt Public schools. After his graduation, in 1900, he "hitched" a ride by rail to Chicago where he enlisted in the Marine Corps.
His rise in rank was rapid. Five months after he enlisted he became a corporal, then he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant by the end of the same year, 1901. He joined the 1st Marine Brigade in the Philippines after completing his officer training at the Boston Navy yard in 1902.
In 1903 Lieutenant Ellis became one of the officers of the Marine Guard serving on the battleship Kentucky, the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. He receive his promotion to First Lieutenant in 1904 which began with a second tour in the Philippines. There he became identified with the Marine Corps Advance Base Force which, in the event of war, was assigned the task of seizing and defending advance bases.
Ellis spent much of his time studying the area of the Pacific and in 1908, when he was promoted to the rank of Captain, he served as the Advance Base Officer responsible for the defenses of Grande Island in Subic Bay. He later returned to the Philippines and by 1911 had earned a reputation for brilliance and devotion to duty.
He attended the U.S. Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island, and remained there as a member of the permanent staff. During this time he wrote a seminal study on Advance Base Theory. Ellis then served as the Intelligence Officer of the Advance Base Brigade in Puerto Rico where, in 1914, he set up an extensive defense system. Later, he was sent to Guam to supervise the establishment of permanent defenses.
Ellie