Ensign Eldin R. Arms
Kennebec, Lyman County, South Dakota
Buried at Sea near Wake Island
Eldin R. Arms was born in Westport,
South Dakota, on November I, 1920. He was the second
son of Rev. Clinton DeWitt Arms and Vesta Lisle Arms.
Eldin, also known as "Whitey" because he was the only
member of the family to have white hair and blue eyes,
joined his older brother Luverne, "Brownie," and two
years later was accompanied by his youngest a brother
M. Wesley, "Blackie."
Eldin graduated from high
school at Valley Springs, SD, In 1937, where he was an
honor student and active in many sports. While a
member of the Lightning CC Camp in the Black Hills, he
helped construct the new lookout tower on Harney Peak.
The year following, he entered John Fletcher College
at University Park, IA, and remained there for two
years. He taught the seventh and eighth
grades in the public schools in Rowley, IA, and was
also the basketball coach. He resigned his school
position around Christmas time to enlist in the Naval
Air Corps.
He entered Wold-Chamberlain
Field, Minneapolis for three months and was inducted
into the Naval Air Corps on April I, 1942. He was sent
to Corpus Christi, TX, where he received his wings on
December 11. He took advanced training at several
bases and was the leader of his squadron when he left
the US for active combat services. He departed from
the west coast on September 12, l943. on board a
converted aircraft carrier named the Cowpens. He
was a fighter pilot and flew a Gruman Hellcat.
Eldin was returning
from a second raid over Wake Island, where they had
been fighting the Japanese Zeros, who were attempting
to shoot down the US bombers. While landing on the
deck, his grappling hook did not catch and he went off
into the Pacific Ocean and sank immediately. Rescue
vessels stayed in the vicinity for over an hour, but
nothing came to the surface. "Everything that could be
done was done, and it was with great sadness when we
learned that he had not been recovered," said Robert
H. Price, Lt. US Navy Commanding, in a telegram
directed to Eldin's parents.
"Eldin was one of the most
popular, young pilots in the squadron, and in
addition, considered him one of the best. His
enthusiasm for flying plus his ability for doing his
job assigned was always gratifying," stated Price.
Eldin is honored at the
Honolulu Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii, for those
soldiers who gave their lives in WWII.
This entry is respectfully submitted by Abby Schlomer
and Heather Anderson, juniors at Lyman High School,
Presho, SD, April 1, 2002.
Information for this entry was provided by M. Wesley
Arms, Eldin's younger brother,
and by Leola Peterson, who sent a newspaper clipping.