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Elijah Armenta 6/9/1925 to 5/26/1999
Elijah Armenta was born in Amarillo, Texas on June 9, 1925, to Mercedes and Elijah Armenta.
The Great Depression of 1929 took its toll on all Americans, but it was especially hard on poor Hispanic migrant workers.
The Armenta family, including the four young sons, worked in fields and farms, going wherever the crops needed hands to work.
Later, the family would be separated, with Mercedes taking three of the boys, Ignacio, Benjamin and Elijah to live in Chicago. Elijah Armenta, Sr. and his second eldest son, Ysidro, worked their way to California, but eventually became estranged from the rest of the family.
Life during these turbulent years was difficult. The three sons worked at various jobs to help support the family, and Elijah, the youngest, never got to finish high school, the family’s welfare being more important than education at the time.
The outbreak of World War II in 1939 called many young men to serve their country, and Eli was barely eighteen years old when he joined the army.
He was inducted on October 2, 1943, and later entered into service at Fort Custer in Michigan. The former soap packer from Chicago was now a cannoneer specialist 531 with marksmanship qualifications of ss w/carbine weapons.
Approximately six months of training was all these young men received. Many of these boys had worked on farms or in factories and had never left home before. Now, after a few months training, they were sent overseas to face a foreign enemy and risk their lives.
Life would never be the same.
The army becomes your family and your fellow soldiers become your brothers when you are stationed far from home in a foreign land.
Eli already knew the meaning of hard work and brotherhood, so he managed well in his new army family. He served in New Guinea and the Southern Philippines for almost two years.
His work ethic and leadership qualities soon earned him the rank of sergeant. He was well-liked and respected by all who knew him and served with him.
Eli and his fellow soldiers left the States on May 11th, 1944, and he did not return until February 5, 1946. Many of those young men did not return, sacrificing their lives for their family and country. This always weighed heavily on the returning sergeant’s heart.
During his service, Eli received many decorations and citations. He earned 3 Overseas Service Bars, 2 Bronze Battle Stars, Bronze Star Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal and last but not least, a Good Conduct Medal.
His “good conduct” was not limited exclusively to the army. The young soldier always sent the majority of his army pay back home to his mother in Chicago. His generous contributions enabled her to open up a little neighborhood grocery store, sustaining the family during the lean war years.
Upon his honorable discharge from the army on February 12, 1946, Eli returned to Chicago, no longer a teenage boy, but a young war veteran who had seen more than his twenty-one years should have allowed.
Life continued, and the young man found a job and found love with a beautiful young woman named Trinidad Aguirre. The two were neighborhood sweethearts and Trini said, “It was love at first sight, just like in the movies.” They were married at St. Francis Catholic Church in Chicago on October 9, 1948, and this is where we say, “And they lived happily ever after.”
To be perfectly honest, life was not always a fairy tale, but Eli and Trini were blessed with three beautiful daughters, and they worked hard to ensure a better life for their children.
As the years flew by, and the children were grown and gone, Eli never forgot his army experience and his fellow soldiers. It was difficult to keep in touch with his old buddies scattered across the country, but he found camaraderie at the Manuel Perez, Jr. Post 1017.
Manuel Perez, Jr. was a Mexican-American soldier from Chicago who courageously sacrificed his life for his country during World War II. He was buried with full military honors at Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City, where he was born and the Department of the Army reserve center of the 221st Unit Army Hospital was named in his honor. The state government of Illinois honored Perez by naming a plaza in Chicago’s Little Village Square and an elementary school in his honor.
Perhaps Eli’s active participation at the Manuel Perez Post and MAVA, (Mexican-American Veterans Association) stemmed from his great admiration of the Medal of Honor recipient who came from the same neighborhood, and served and died heroically in the Philippines at the age of twenty-one. What better way to honor a fallen soldier than to continue his legacy of helping others?
Eli became involved with the many charitable aspects of Post 1017 and MAVA. He was all too happy to dress up like Santa Claus and pass out toys to the school children at Christmas or to contribute to the turkey drive at Thanksgiving for families in need.
The school that bore the name of his fallen comrade was always near and dear to his heart. His sincerest wish was that these young students would continue their education, finish high school and go on to college, an opportunity that he was not afforded. It was many years later, with many months of studying, but Eli received his high school diploma, proving how important education was to him.
His dear friend, Chris Gomez said, “Eli was always so giving of his heart. When MAVA honored him by making him a lifetime member, Eli was so moved that he cried.” Like all good soldiers, he never thought that his sacrifice or involvement was worthy of recognition. He gave generously from his heart because he wanted to give back to his community and honor the country that gave so much to him and his family.
The Military Honor Guard, along with the many friends that Eli had made throughout the years, showed their final respects at his funeral on May 26, 1999. Elijah Armenta is no longer with us, but his memory and kindness will long remain in our hearts.
