Individual Details
Ellis Day HUNT
(12 Mar 1918 - 1 Feb 2003)
Brief History of Ellis Day Hunt
written Janaury, 2001 by Ione Hunt, wife
Ellis grew up on the family ranch west of Enterprise, Utah and loved working the land with his dad.
After graduating from Enterprise High School, Ellis went to B.A.C., now S.U.U. for one year. He had a really good instructor there in Mechanics, which he became very good at. He was then drafted in the army and spent time in North Africa and Sicily, Italy. When he returned home, he joined the National Guard and retired after 25 years as their mechanic.
He met Barbara Smith while in college and then married her while he was in the army, on June 12, 1942, in Texas. Their new little family moved to Parowan, Iron, Utah. While still in the army, Elleen was born on 21 Oct, 1944. They later moved to St. George where three more children were born in to this union: Barry Smith - born 21 Dec 1946, Douglas Kay - born 14 Aug 1950 and Colette - born 3 Aug 1955.
Ellis took up doing "key and lock work" on the side. Ellis loved to hunt deer and mountain lions. He loved his mule, Ginger Nut, that he rode while hunting.
Doug and Barry both filled two year missions for the LDS Church. Colette and Doug graduated from Brigham Young University.
Ellis and Barbara had a wonderful life together. They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1992. They have many beautiful grandchildren whom they really enjoyed together.
Barbara was diagnosed with cancer and was fortunate enough to overcome it. It didn't come back for fifteen years. When it did come back, she suffered about twelve years and then passed away on May 2, 1995.
After Barbara passed away, Ellis was very lonely and lost. Shelley Monson was one of Colette's college friends and also her bridesmaid. Shelley became a good friend of the family. She could see that Ellis was very lost and lonely. She asked her mom, who was single, if she would call him and cheer him up. Ellis then went straight to Annabella, fell in love with Ione Peterson, and they were married June 1, 1996. They have lived in Annabella, very happily, for about five years. She also has two sons, Kinley and Landon, besides her one daughter, Shelley. Ellis and Ione both enjoy their families and brothers and sisisters a lot.
Ellis raises a big garden every year and takes vegetables to everyone. He also loves riding his 4-wheeler a lot. Ellis and Ione also love camping in their trailer when they have time. Ellis loves to sit back and listen to Ione play the organ and piano.
Life is wonderful!
Oral History of Sergeant Ellis D. Hunt - World War II by Colette Hunt Varley
He reclines in his overstuffed, dark-green chair and gazes out the wall of windows and watches the clouds roll over the mountaintops, just as the years of his life move through his mind. White hair and suntanned skin masquerade the wild spirit inside this courageous man who has lived an adventurous and complete life. Time has slowed to almost a standstill as he dons his overalls and proceeds to water his garden and hoe the weeds. The need to "hoe the weeds" from his life doesn't exist, because this is my father, a man who has no regrets and wouldn't change his life if he had to live it over. This feeling of contentment can be sought after every day of a person's life, but the wealth of a life well lived can only be earned through the small and daily acts of true character.
My father is a courageous and capable man. He has had many life experiences that have given him the wisdom and values that have made him into the honorable man that he is today. He has just passed his 83rd birthday, and I am thankful to have had the opportunity of talking with him about the memories he has of his life and the remarkable experience of serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.
The following is his biographical narrative, for I believe that his personal memories are invaluable. I sat at his side in Annabella, Utah, and we tape recorded his story on June 22, 2001.
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I was attending college in Cedar city, Utah when I got inducted into the United States Army. I knew that I was going to war right away. Four of my brothers: Bill, Ivin, Floyd, Elwin and I were inducted at the same time. We weren't ever stationed together. I received my basic training in Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City, Utah, and then I was shipped to Texas. I was a Staff Sergeant in the 5th Army under General Clark.
I knew Barbara Smith when I went to school in Cedar. My friend and I, Jay Holt, went to the dance at the Iron County Fair in Parowan, Utah. They'd play 20 songs at each dance. When I showed up - we danced all 20 dances. They played Big Band dance music. We got married in Texas before I went overseas.
I received my training in Texas. We were divided up and assigned to units to be shipped out of Salt Lake City. I didn't get shipped out with the guys I left Washington County with, I didn't know why. The day we went in we received an aptitude test. Everybody that scored 120 or above was reserved from the main group and they were sent to officer training. They kept me out because I had scored 119. After a week, a Colonel interviewed me and asked me if I wanted to go. I kind of turned him down because I didn't want to be an officer. I'm not sorry that I did. If I were to life my life over I wouldn't change anything, because I've never really made any big mistakes. I don't say that I would have done anything differently.
I was assigned to a unit called 243 and the guys that I left Fort Douglas with were from Duschene and Winnemucca, Nevada. We got into anti-aircraft artillery and received our actual guns that we took to Africa with us. There were two units - the Winnemucca guy was in with me. We were sent to Texas for our advanced training, it was on the Gulf of Mexico next to the ocean.
That's when Barbara came to visit me, at Camp Hulen in Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas. When Barbara came down, she didn't want to go back home unless we got married first, so we went to Bay City and went to the court house and got married right there. She had to go home then, because she was a schoolteacher. She'd gone to school at BYU and was teaching elementary school in Cedar. Then when school got out, she came back down for the summer, but had to go back home. When I left Texas, we were scheduled to go overseas and we were to take part in the invasion of North Africa. I went to Casablanca, in French Morocco, North Africa, on the gulf of the Mediterranean Sea. Part of the invasion took place there in Casablanca. Then from there, they moved toward General Patton, who was fighting in the deseret of Algeria. They moved toward him, Morocco, then Tunis, Tunisia, and another city called Benghazi.
While we were in a position in North Africa, in the upper end of towns where they dumped the trash, we would go shoot up tin cans for practice. I would line up twenty cans, and then get back 100 yards, and with my 45-caliber pistol that had a shoulder stock, I'd shoot at them. The clip would hold twenty bullets, so i would aim and shoot, aim and shoot, until I had shot them all. I practiced but it felt natural for me to shoot twenty cans with twenty bullets.
One day, while we were sitting on the bed of a truck with our feet hanging out after we'd practiced shooting, two Air Force men walked by as they came down from the dump. I recognized the first cousin of a friend of mine that I had seen two years before. They were there to shoot guns because the Air Force didn't engage in hand-to-and combat. I looked at him and was surprised that in the millions of people - here's one guy I personally knew, Barney Seegmiller. He was friendly and it was neat to talk to him. He was a cousin with Murray Webb. The name of the town we were by was Aim Mallilla, so whenever I saw him back in St. George after the war, we'd say, "Hey, Aim Mallilla!"
While we were in Casablanca, all of the big General's in the Army met for a conference. There was a plantation that was fenced with a rock and cement fence all the way around, with a big plantation house and that's where they met. The famous army people that were there were Churchill, the Prime Minister of England, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. I was as close to them as the chapel across the street. There were hundreds of military police that guarded everyone from entering. This group of dignitaries were: General Clar, General Patton, General Macarthur, Eisenhower, Churchill, and President Roosevelt. The reason for this meeting was to plan the strategy of the war, the future, and how they were going to participate in it. I never got to see any of them, but they were a hundred yards away. We were camping by the brick wall, and after the meeting we stayed there.
On the day of the invasion of French Morocco, Casablanca, we were there in time, but we couldn't land because they had some forces that had landed ahead of us. They sank too many ships in the dock; we couldn't get in because we were on a big ship, so we had to go back out to sea. We were protected with planes overhead and submarines before we could land. Then we moved into Tunisia and we were in Bezerti; it was a bombed out town. Tunis wasn't bombed out as much as Bezerti.
While we were there, I camped out with the headquarter people because I was in charge of the trucks. I;'d get a call on the phone to send so many trucks, two or three trucks, down to the docts. They would unload 50 gallon barrels of gasoline. They would make stacks in different places so if it caught fire it would only be one fire. We had to unload all the ships that came in with food, supplies, bombs and gasoline.
Then I had to deliver so many trucks to the front lines. It took about a week to make a round trip, about three days to get there. By the time we got there, we could tell we were close to the front lines, because we'd pass the shot up equipment on the dirt road. We were going along, following a small ravine with rolling hills on each side. I was in lead and this officer hollered and said, "Stop, I'm not going to let you go any further. You're going to have to leave your trucks here. We'll take them in because just around the bend, you're in open country and you might get shot." It was scary. He accepted all of the trucks that we brought because they'd lost a lot of trucks; they'd been shot up.
While we were in Bezerti, the Germans would send three planes over us every night at the same time, about 10:00. And they'd drop bombs on us and spray us with machine guns. We always slept in a foxhole with our field jacket. We each had a coat and two blankets, and so I folded my field jacket to use for a pillow. My head would kind of make a little nest in the pillow. These planes came over this one night and they knew where we were because they'd come over every night flying high. This night, they were flying low, just skimmed over the ground. They were strafing us with machine guns and they made a couple of passes over us. When we thought they'd left and gone back to Germany, we got out of our foxhole and went and visited the cooks and the mess sergeant in the kitchen area. Then I went back to my foxhole and right where my head laid, in that little nest, as a 50-caliber bullet. It had gone down through my field jacket. While I was standing around talking and stuff, they must have come over again. You get a lot of breaks like that and you wonder why. I had some close calls and was saved so many times; I felt that there was a reason that I was spared.
One guy was hit with a strafing bullet; he was on the ground manning an anti-aircraft gun. It would take two guys on the gun, one to track the plane vertically and one on the other side, horizontally. They had a wheel to move the artillery and keep the barrel on the plane. He was given a Purple Heart medal for being wounded in battle.
When we left there, they were going to invade Italy. They'd already invaded Sicily, an island by Italy. So we loaded all of our guns and trucks and things on the boat. We couldn't land in Italy, so we had to stop off at Sicily where there were open docks where we could get in. They were still fighting on the beach in Italy. We stayed in Sicily for about fifteen days, and then they said we could go to Italy. There were still water mines floating around so they had to use minesweepers to explode them. While we were pulling into land, two small ships were hit by floating mines and they exploded. I watched them sink; first one end would go down, and then the other end would follow. We landed in Italy, the Infantry and troops that landed had to get clearance to get our ships in and unload.
The war was going pretty well, so they decided to send some troops home. Each unit could choose one or two people to send home.
I transferred out of Headquarters Battery to the A Battery. They needed another Sergeant, somebody in charge of their motor trucks and equipment, so I agreed to go with them. The Battery Commander chose me and I came home on rotation. It was more or less to build up the morale of the troops, because the younger soldiers were able to move up in the ranks. I had been in enough invasions to have enough points to be sent home to the States. I left with a two-week furlough. I got to spend time with Barbara before I was reassigned and went to El Paso, Texas for more training.
We would march for five or six miles each day, carrying a 50-pound pack on our backs. One day, I felt as if the top of my foot was broken, so they sent me to the doctor. They couldn't see anything on the x-ray, but they had me stay in the infirmary because it was too painful to march each day. It was a stress fracture from the heavy pack and continuous marching. I was able to rest in the infirmary for a few weeks so that it could heal. One day, I was out of my bed visiting with another man, when the doctor yelled at me to get back in bed. They had x-rayed my foot again and it showed where my foot had been broken and grown back together, just like the knot on a tree would heal. Because of my foot, I wasn't sent back to the front lines at that time. Most of the soldiers that were sent back to fight in the infantry, returned home in a wooden box within a few days. I was glad I was able to stay in the States and be released shortly before the end of the war.
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Now that I have learned about my father's dedication and involvement in World War II, the historical facts come to life, and my respect for him continues to grow. I am appreciative of his life and the example he has set for me and for my children.
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Ellis, the fifth of eleven children born to Elmer and Emma Hunt, was born 12 March 1918 in Enterprise, a small rural community in Washington County. He grew up on the family ranch west of his hometown and loved working the land with his dad.
After graduating from Enterprise High School, Ellis went to B.A.C., now Southern Utah University for one year. He enjoyed his education there, but seemed to have a natural aptitude for mechanics. He received excellent instruction in this field, and consequently became very good in this area.
It was while attending college in Cedar City that he was inducted into the United States Army. SI knew I was going to war right away.T Three of his brothers: Bill, Floyd and Elwin were inducted at the same time. Ivin followed closely behind. SI received my basic training in Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City, Utah, and then I was shipped to Texas. I was a Staff Sergeant in the 5th Army under General Clark.
SI knew Barbara Smith when I went to school in Cedar. My friend and I, Jay Holt, went to the dance at the Iron County Fair in Parowan, Utah. They'd play 20 songs at each dance. When I showed up - we danced all 20 dances. They played Big Band dance music. We got married in Texas before I went overseas.T
SI received my training in Texas. We were divided up and assigned to units to be shipped out of Salt Lake City. I didn't get shipped out with the guys I left Washington County with, I didn't know why. The day we went in we received an aptitude test. Everybody that scored 120 or above was reserved from the main group and they were sent to officer training. They kept me out because I had scored 119. After a week, a Colonel interviewed me and asked me if I wanted to go. I kind of turned him down because I didn't want to be an officer. I'm not sorry that I did. If I were to life my life over I wouldn't change anything, because I've never really made any big mistakes. I don't say that I would have done anything differently.T
He was assigned to a unit called 243 and they were sent to Texas for further training. While in Texas Barbara came to visit him, at Camp Hulen in Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas. SWhen Barbara came down, she didn't want to go back home unless we got married first, so we went to Bay City and went to the court house and got married right there. She had to go home then, because she was a schoolteacher. She'd gone to school at BYU and was teaching elementary school in Cedar. Then when school got out, she came back down for the summer, but had to go back home. When I left Texas, we were scheduled to go overseas and we were to take part in the invasion of North Africa.T He was released shortly before the end of World War II.
Barbara and Ellis moved to Parowan, Iron, Utah. Ellis was still in the army when their first daught, Elleen was born on 21 Oct, 1944. They later moved to St. George where three more children were born to this union: Barry Smith - born 21 Dec 1946, Douglas Kay - born 14 Aug 1950 and Colette - born 3 Aug 1955.
Ellis took up doing "key and lock work" on the side. Ellis loved to hunt deer and mountain lions. He loved his mule, Ginger Nut, that he rode while hunting.
Doug and Barry both filled two year missions for the LDS Church. Colette and Doug graduated from Brigham Young University.
Ellis and Barbara had a wonderful life together. They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1992. They have many beautiful grandchildren whom they really enjoyed together.
Barbara was diagnosed with cancer and was fortunate enough to overcome it. It didn't come back for fifteen years. When it did come back, she suffered about twelve years and then passed away on May 2, 1995.
After Barbara passed away, Ellis was very lonely and lost. Shelley Monson was one of Colette's college friends and also her bridesmaid. Shelley became a good friend of the family. She could see that Ellis was very lost and lonely. She asked her mom, who was single, if she would call him and cheer him up. Ellis then went straight to Annabella, fell in love with Ione Peterson, and they were married June 1, 1996. They lived in Annabella, very happily for about six years. Ione also had two sons, Kinley and Landon, besides her one daughter, Shelley. Ellis and Ione both enjoyed their families and brothers and sisters a lot.
Ellis raised a big garden every year and took vegetables to his neighbors and friends. He loved riding his 4-wheeler and camping with Ione in their trailer when they had time. Ellis loved sitingt back and listening to Ione play the organ and piano.
Life was wonderful for Ellis and Ione, but it also had itus difficulties. They both suffered from health problems and eventually Ellis was taken to the St. George Hospital where he was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, the same disease which Ivin and Clair had passed away from just before.
At the time he was in the hospital Colete moved bach to St. George and so he had three of his four children close. Elleen came as often as possible and Ione hardly left his side. His struggle, once diagnosed, came to a quick end and he passed away on 1 February 2003 in St. George. He was buried next to Barbara in the St. George Cemetery on 6 February 2003.
Ellis was a courageous and capable man. He had many life experiences that gave him wisdom and values that made him the honorable man that he was. Although in life he enjoyed going outside in his overalls to water his garden and hoe weeds, the need to Shoe weedsT from his life didnut exist because he was a man with few if any regrets. He wouldnut have changed his life if he were to live it over. This type of contentment can be sought after every day of a personus life, but the wealth of a life well lived can only be earned through the small and daily acts of true character. His example stands firm for his children and grandchildren because of the life that he lived. FIELD NAME Page VALUE Thomas Elmer Hunt Family Group Sheet; about 19611975; Information entered with three pens: Original about 1961, additions ca. 1965 and 1975. _INFO P FIELD NAME Page VALUE Thomas Elmer Hunt Family Group Sheet; about 19611975; Information entered with three pens: Original about 1961, additions ca. 1965 and 1975. _INFO P FIELD NAME Page VALUE Thomas Elmer Hunt Family Group Sheet; about 19611975; Information entered with three pens: Original about 1961, additions ca. 1965 and 1975. _INFO P FIELD NAME Page FIELD NAME Page VALUE Thomas Elmer Hunt Family Group Sheet; about 19611975; Information entered with three pens: Original about 1961, additions ca. 1965 and 1975. _INFO P FIELD NAME Page
written Janaury, 2001 by Ione Hunt, wife
Ellis grew up on the family ranch west of Enterprise, Utah and loved working the land with his dad.
After graduating from Enterprise High School, Ellis went to B.A.C., now S.U.U. for one year. He had a really good instructor there in Mechanics, which he became very good at. He was then drafted in the army and spent time in North Africa and Sicily, Italy. When he returned home, he joined the National Guard and retired after 25 years as their mechanic.
He met Barbara Smith while in college and then married her while he was in the army, on June 12, 1942, in Texas. Their new little family moved to Parowan, Iron, Utah. While still in the army, Elleen was born on 21 Oct, 1944. They later moved to St. George where three more children were born in to this union: Barry Smith - born 21 Dec 1946, Douglas Kay - born 14 Aug 1950 and Colette - born 3 Aug 1955.
Ellis took up doing "key and lock work" on the side. Ellis loved to hunt deer and mountain lions. He loved his mule, Ginger Nut, that he rode while hunting.
Doug and Barry both filled two year missions for the LDS Church. Colette and Doug graduated from Brigham Young University.
Ellis and Barbara had a wonderful life together. They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1992. They have many beautiful grandchildren whom they really enjoyed together.
Barbara was diagnosed with cancer and was fortunate enough to overcome it. It didn't come back for fifteen years. When it did come back, she suffered about twelve years and then passed away on May 2, 1995.
After Barbara passed away, Ellis was very lonely and lost. Shelley Monson was one of Colette's college friends and also her bridesmaid. Shelley became a good friend of the family. She could see that Ellis was very lost and lonely. She asked her mom, who was single, if she would call him and cheer him up. Ellis then went straight to Annabella, fell in love with Ione Peterson, and they were married June 1, 1996. They have lived in Annabella, very happily, for about five years. She also has two sons, Kinley and Landon, besides her one daughter, Shelley. Ellis and Ione both enjoy their families and brothers and sisisters a lot.
Ellis raises a big garden every year and takes vegetables to everyone. He also loves riding his 4-wheeler a lot. Ellis and Ione also love camping in their trailer when they have time. Ellis loves to sit back and listen to Ione play the organ and piano.
Life is wonderful!
Oral History of Sergeant Ellis D. Hunt - World War II by Colette Hunt Varley
He reclines in his overstuffed, dark-green chair and gazes out the wall of windows and watches the clouds roll over the mountaintops, just as the years of his life move through his mind. White hair and suntanned skin masquerade the wild spirit inside this courageous man who has lived an adventurous and complete life. Time has slowed to almost a standstill as he dons his overalls and proceeds to water his garden and hoe the weeds. The need to "hoe the weeds" from his life doesn't exist, because this is my father, a man who has no regrets and wouldn't change his life if he had to live it over. This feeling of contentment can be sought after every day of a person's life, but the wealth of a life well lived can only be earned through the small and daily acts of true character.
My father is a courageous and capable man. He has had many life experiences that have given him the wisdom and values that have made him into the honorable man that he is today. He has just passed his 83rd birthday, and I am thankful to have had the opportunity of talking with him about the memories he has of his life and the remarkable experience of serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.
The following is his biographical narrative, for I believe that his personal memories are invaluable. I sat at his side in Annabella, Utah, and we tape recorded his story on June 22, 2001.
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I was attending college in Cedar city, Utah when I got inducted into the United States Army. I knew that I was going to war right away. Four of my brothers: Bill, Ivin, Floyd, Elwin and I were inducted at the same time. We weren't ever stationed together. I received my basic training in Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City, Utah, and then I was shipped to Texas. I was a Staff Sergeant in the 5th Army under General Clark.
I knew Barbara Smith when I went to school in Cedar. My friend and I, Jay Holt, went to the dance at the Iron County Fair in Parowan, Utah. They'd play 20 songs at each dance. When I showed up - we danced all 20 dances. They played Big Band dance music. We got married in Texas before I went overseas.
I received my training in Texas. We were divided up and assigned to units to be shipped out of Salt Lake City. I didn't get shipped out with the guys I left Washington County with, I didn't know why. The day we went in we received an aptitude test. Everybody that scored 120 or above was reserved from the main group and they were sent to officer training. They kept me out because I had scored 119. After a week, a Colonel interviewed me and asked me if I wanted to go. I kind of turned him down because I didn't want to be an officer. I'm not sorry that I did. If I were to life my life over I wouldn't change anything, because I've never really made any big mistakes. I don't say that I would have done anything differently.
I was assigned to a unit called 243 and the guys that I left Fort Douglas with were from Duschene and Winnemucca, Nevada. We got into anti-aircraft artillery and received our actual guns that we took to Africa with us. There were two units - the Winnemucca guy was in with me. We were sent to Texas for our advanced training, it was on the Gulf of Mexico next to the ocean.
That's when Barbara came to visit me, at Camp Hulen in Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas. When Barbara came down, she didn't want to go back home unless we got married first, so we went to Bay City and went to the court house and got married right there. She had to go home then, because she was a schoolteacher. She'd gone to school at BYU and was teaching elementary school in Cedar. Then when school got out, she came back down for the summer, but had to go back home. When I left Texas, we were scheduled to go overseas and we were to take part in the invasion of North Africa. I went to Casablanca, in French Morocco, North Africa, on the gulf of the Mediterranean Sea. Part of the invasion took place there in Casablanca. Then from there, they moved toward General Patton, who was fighting in the deseret of Algeria. They moved toward him, Morocco, then Tunis, Tunisia, and another city called Benghazi.
While we were in a position in North Africa, in the upper end of towns where they dumped the trash, we would go shoot up tin cans for practice. I would line up twenty cans, and then get back 100 yards, and with my 45-caliber pistol that had a shoulder stock, I'd shoot at them. The clip would hold twenty bullets, so i would aim and shoot, aim and shoot, until I had shot them all. I practiced but it felt natural for me to shoot twenty cans with twenty bullets.
One day, while we were sitting on the bed of a truck with our feet hanging out after we'd practiced shooting, two Air Force men walked by as they came down from the dump. I recognized the first cousin of a friend of mine that I had seen two years before. They were there to shoot guns because the Air Force didn't engage in hand-to-and combat. I looked at him and was surprised that in the millions of people - here's one guy I personally knew, Barney Seegmiller. He was friendly and it was neat to talk to him. He was a cousin with Murray Webb. The name of the town we were by was Aim Mallilla, so whenever I saw him back in St. George after the war, we'd say, "Hey, Aim Mallilla!"
While we were in Casablanca, all of the big General's in the Army met for a conference. There was a plantation that was fenced with a rock and cement fence all the way around, with a big plantation house and that's where they met. The famous army people that were there were Churchill, the Prime Minister of England, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. I was as close to them as the chapel across the street. There were hundreds of military police that guarded everyone from entering. This group of dignitaries were: General Clar, General Patton, General Macarthur, Eisenhower, Churchill, and President Roosevelt. The reason for this meeting was to plan the strategy of the war, the future, and how they were going to participate in it. I never got to see any of them, but they were a hundred yards away. We were camping by the brick wall, and after the meeting we stayed there.
On the day of the invasion of French Morocco, Casablanca, we were there in time, but we couldn't land because they had some forces that had landed ahead of us. They sank too many ships in the dock; we couldn't get in because we were on a big ship, so we had to go back out to sea. We were protected with planes overhead and submarines before we could land. Then we moved into Tunisia and we were in Bezerti; it was a bombed out town. Tunis wasn't bombed out as much as Bezerti.
While we were there, I camped out with the headquarter people because I was in charge of the trucks. I;'d get a call on the phone to send so many trucks, two or three trucks, down to the docts. They would unload 50 gallon barrels of gasoline. They would make stacks in different places so if it caught fire it would only be one fire. We had to unload all the ships that came in with food, supplies, bombs and gasoline.
Then I had to deliver so many trucks to the front lines. It took about a week to make a round trip, about three days to get there. By the time we got there, we could tell we were close to the front lines, because we'd pass the shot up equipment on the dirt road. We were going along, following a small ravine with rolling hills on each side. I was in lead and this officer hollered and said, "Stop, I'm not going to let you go any further. You're going to have to leave your trucks here. We'll take them in because just around the bend, you're in open country and you might get shot." It was scary. He accepted all of the trucks that we brought because they'd lost a lot of trucks; they'd been shot up.
While we were in Bezerti, the Germans would send three planes over us every night at the same time, about 10:00. And they'd drop bombs on us and spray us with machine guns. We always slept in a foxhole with our field jacket. We each had a coat and two blankets, and so I folded my field jacket to use for a pillow. My head would kind of make a little nest in the pillow. These planes came over this one night and they knew where we were because they'd come over every night flying high. This night, they were flying low, just skimmed over the ground. They were strafing us with machine guns and they made a couple of passes over us. When we thought they'd left and gone back to Germany, we got out of our foxhole and went and visited the cooks and the mess sergeant in the kitchen area. Then I went back to my foxhole and right where my head laid, in that little nest, as a 50-caliber bullet. It had gone down through my field jacket. While I was standing around talking and stuff, they must have come over again. You get a lot of breaks like that and you wonder why. I had some close calls and was saved so many times; I felt that there was a reason that I was spared.
One guy was hit with a strafing bullet; he was on the ground manning an anti-aircraft gun. It would take two guys on the gun, one to track the plane vertically and one on the other side, horizontally. They had a wheel to move the artillery and keep the barrel on the plane. He was given a Purple Heart medal for being wounded in battle.
When we left there, they were going to invade Italy. They'd already invaded Sicily, an island by Italy. So we loaded all of our guns and trucks and things on the boat. We couldn't land in Italy, so we had to stop off at Sicily where there were open docks where we could get in. They were still fighting on the beach in Italy. We stayed in Sicily for about fifteen days, and then they said we could go to Italy. There were still water mines floating around so they had to use minesweepers to explode them. While we were pulling into land, two small ships were hit by floating mines and they exploded. I watched them sink; first one end would go down, and then the other end would follow. We landed in Italy, the Infantry and troops that landed had to get clearance to get our ships in and unload.
The war was going pretty well, so they decided to send some troops home. Each unit could choose one or two people to send home.
I transferred out of Headquarters Battery to the A Battery. They needed another Sergeant, somebody in charge of their motor trucks and equipment, so I agreed to go with them. The Battery Commander chose me and I came home on rotation. It was more or less to build up the morale of the troops, because the younger soldiers were able to move up in the ranks. I had been in enough invasions to have enough points to be sent home to the States. I left with a two-week furlough. I got to spend time with Barbara before I was reassigned and went to El Paso, Texas for more training.
We would march for five or six miles each day, carrying a 50-pound pack on our backs. One day, I felt as if the top of my foot was broken, so they sent me to the doctor. They couldn't see anything on the x-ray, but they had me stay in the infirmary because it was too painful to march each day. It was a stress fracture from the heavy pack and continuous marching. I was able to rest in the infirmary for a few weeks so that it could heal. One day, I was out of my bed visiting with another man, when the doctor yelled at me to get back in bed. They had x-rayed my foot again and it showed where my foot had been broken and grown back together, just like the knot on a tree would heal. Because of my foot, I wasn't sent back to the front lines at that time. Most of the soldiers that were sent back to fight in the infantry, returned home in a wooden box within a few days. I was glad I was able to stay in the States and be released shortly before the end of the war.
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Now that I have learned about my father's dedication and involvement in World War II, the historical facts come to life, and my respect for him continues to grow. I am appreciative of his life and the example he has set for me and for my children.
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Ellis, the fifth of eleven children born to Elmer and Emma Hunt, was born 12 March 1918 in Enterprise, a small rural community in Washington County. He grew up on the family ranch west of his hometown and loved working the land with his dad.
After graduating from Enterprise High School, Ellis went to B.A.C., now Southern Utah University for one year. He enjoyed his education there, but seemed to have a natural aptitude for mechanics. He received excellent instruction in this field, and consequently became very good in this area.
It was while attending college in Cedar City that he was inducted into the United States Army. SI knew I was going to war right away.T Three of his brothers: Bill, Floyd and Elwin were inducted at the same time. Ivin followed closely behind. SI received my basic training in Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City, Utah, and then I was shipped to Texas. I was a Staff Sergeant in the 5th Army under General Clark.
SI knew Barbara Smith when I went to school in Cedar. My friend and I, Jay Holt, went to the dance at the Iron County Fair in Parowan, Utah. They'd play 20 songs at each dance. When I showed up - we danced all 20 dances. They played Big Band dance music. We got married in Texas before I went overseas.T
SI received my training in Texas. We were divided up and assigned to units to be shipped out of Salt Lake City. I didn't get shipped out with the guys I left Washington County with, I didn't know why. The day we went in we received an aptitude test. Everybody that scored 120 or above was reserved from the main group and they were sent to officer training. They kept me out because I had scored 119. After a week, a Colonel interviewed me and asked me if I wanted to go. I kind of turned him down because I didn't want to be an officer. I'm not sorry that I did. If I were to life my life over I wouldn't change anything, because I've never really made any big mistakes. I don't say that I would have done anything differently.T
He was assigned to a unit called 243 and they were sent to Texas for further training. While in Texas Barbara came to visit him, at Camp Hulen in Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas. SWhen Barbara came down, she didn't want to go back home unless we got married first, so we went to Bay City and went to the court house and got married right there. She had to go home then, because she was a schoolteacher. She'd gone to school at BYU and was teaching elementary school in Cedar. Then when school got out, she came back down for the summer, but had to go back home. When I left Texas, we were scheduled to go overseas and we were to take part in the invasion of North Africa.T He was released shortly before the end of World War II.
Barbara and Ellis moved to Parowan, Iron, Utah. Ellis was still in the army when their first daught, Elleen was born on 21 Oct, 1944. They later moved to St. George where three more children were born to this union: Barry Smith - born 21 Dec 1946, Douglas Kay - born 14 Aug 1950 and Colette - born 3 Aug 1955.
Ellis took up doing "key and lock work" on the side. Ellis loved to hunt deer and mountain lions. He loved his mule, Ginger Nut, that he rode while hunting.
Doug and Barry both filled two year missions for the LDS Church. Colette and Doug graduated from Brigham Young University.
Ellis and Barbara had a wonderful life together. They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1992. They have many beautiful grandchildren whom they really enjoyed together.
Barbara was diagnosed with cancer and was fortunate enough to overcome it. It didn't come back for fifteen years. When it did come back, she suffered about twelve years and then passed away on May 2, 1995.
After Barbara passed away, Ellis was very lonely and lost. Shelley Monson was one of Colette's college friends and also her bridesmaid. Shelley became a good friend of the family. She could see that Ellis was very lost and lonely. She asked her mom, who was single, if she would call him and cheer him up. Ellis then went straight to Annabella, fell in love with Ione Peterson, and they were married June 1, 1996. They lived in Annabella, very happily for about six years. Ione also had two sons, Kinley and Landon, besides her one daughter, Shelley. Ellis and Ione both enjoyed their families and brothers and sisters a lot.
Ellis raised a big garden every year and took vegetables to his neighbors and friends. He loved riding his 4-wheeler and camping with Ione in their trailer when they had time. Ellis loved sitingt back and listening to Ione play the organ and piano.
Life was wonderful for Ellis and Ione, but it also had itus difficulties. They both suffered from health problems and eventually Ellis was taken to the St. George Hospital where he was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, the same disease which Ivin and Clair had passed away from just before.
At the time he was in the hospital Colete moved bach to St. George and so he had three of his four children close. Elleen came as often as possible and Ione hardly left his side. His struggle, once diagnosed, came to a quick end and he passed away on 1 February 2003 in St. George. He was buried next to Barbara in the St. George Cemetery on 6 February 2003.
Ellis was a courageous and capable man. He had many life experiences that gave him wisdom and values that made him the honorable man that he was. Although in life he enjoyed going outside in his overalls to water his garden and hoe weeds, the need to Shoe weedsT from his life didnut exist because he was a man with few if any regrets. He wouldnut have changed his life if he were to live it over. This type of contentment can be sought after every day of a personus life, but the wealth of a life well lived can only be earned through the small and daily acts of true character. His example stands firm for his children and grandchildren because of the life that he lived. FIELD NAME Page VALUE Thomas Elmer Hunt Family Group Sheet; about 19611975; Information entered with three pens: Original about 1961, additions ca. 1965 and 1975. _INFO P FIELD NAME Page VALUE Thomas Elmer Hunt Family Group Sheet; about 19611975; Information entered with three pens: Original about 1961, additions ca. 1965 and 1975. _INFO P FIELD NAME Page VALUE Thomas Elmer Hunt Family Group Sheet; about 19611975; Information entered with three pens: Original about 1961, additions ca. 1965 and 1975. _INFO P FIELD NAME Page FIELD NAME Page VALUE Thomas Elmer Hunt Family Group Sheet; about 19611975; Information entered with three pens: Original about 1961, additions ca. 1965 and 1975. _INFO P FIELD NAME Page
Events
| Birth | 12 Mar 1918 | Enterprise, Washington, Utah, United States |  | ||
| Blessing | 5 May 1918 | Enterprise, Washington, Utah, United States | |||
| Military | 11 Feb 1942 | WWII + - Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah | | ||
| Marriage | 12 Jun 1942 | Bay City, Texas - Barbara Belle SMITH | | ||
| Marriage | 1 Jun 1996 | Richfield, Sevier, Utah - Living | |||
| Residence | Abt 1998 | Annabella, Sevier, Utah | |||
| Death | 1 Feb 2003 | St. George, Washington, Utah, United States | | ||
| Burial | 6 Feb 2003 | St. George, Washington, Utah, United States | |||
| Move | Box 275 Annabella, Utah 84711 | ||||
| Occupation | National Guard Mechanic, Locksmith | ||||
| Residence | 260 W. 400 S. St. George, Utah |
Families
| Spouse | Barbara Belle SMITH (1919 - 1995) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Spouse | Living |
| Father | Thomas Elmer HUNT (1882 - 1965) |
| Mother | Emma DAY (1889 - 1975) |
| Sibling | Ollie Philena HUNT (1909 - 1999) |
| Sibling | Geneva HUNT (1911 - 2007) |
| Sibling | Clair HUNT (1913 - 2002) |
| Sibling | Elwin HUNT (1915 - 2003) |
| Sibling | William Terril HUNT (1920 - 2005) |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Ivin Elmer HUNT (1925 - 2002) |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Larilla HUNT (1933 - 1933) |
| Sibling | Lorraine HUNT (1934 - 2005) |
Endnotes
1. Emma Day Hunt, , Hunt Family Records; supplied by Allyson Hunt Wood, [
2. Military Records.
3. Emma Day Hunt, , Hunt Family Records; supplied by Allyson Hunt Wood, [
4. Death Index.