Eldor E. Kirsch
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Marines
Eldor E. Kirsch entered the Marine Corps on May 14, 1943, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Home at entry: Duluth, Minnesota.
He served as a Corporal in Iwo Jima. Wounded in action on February 27, 1945, Iwo Jima. Was in a fortified fox hole when a Japanese ash can mortar landed in the middle of nine men. All were considered dead. All nine bodies were moved to a field mortuary.
In the evening, a corpsman noticed a foot twitching among the nine presumed dead bodies. The corpsman summoned a Marine doctor who verified that movement of the foot. Spent one and one half years in medical facilities until the conclusion of the war.
Final treatments were performed at Sand Point, Idaho, where seriously wounded were given special care. "El was a steady and courageous man who departed this earth in 1992. He left a heritage of steadfastness, valor, and humorous grit in the face of increasing physical difficulties from his war wounds."
Mr. Kirsch was honorably discharged on September 10, 1945, at Farragut, Idaho.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The Saint Louis County World War II Project, page 359.
