Art Elliott
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Artice Weldon Elliott (1929 - 2012)

Colonel Artice Weldon (Art) Elliott
Born in Bowie, Montague, Texas, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Brother of and [private sister (1920s - unknown)]
[spouse(s) unknown]
[children unknown]
Died at age 83 in Colorado, United Statesmap
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Profile last modified | Created 20 May 2018
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Roll of Honor
Colonel Art Elliott was A Prisoner of War for 1066 days during the Vietnam War.

Contents

Biography

Colonel Art Elliott served in the United States Army in the Vietnam War
Service started: 1961
Unit(s): 4th Armour Division; 1st Cavalry Division
Service ended: 30 September 1980

Birth

Artice Weldon Elliott was born on 5 August 1929 in Bowie, Montague, Texas, United States to Jesse Madison Elliott (1892-1956) and Gladys Thompson (1896-1986).

Marriage and Family

He married Wanda Jean Wooldridge, daughter of Clyde Denver Wooldridge (1909-1980) and Robbie Berry (1911-1975) on 14 January 1949 in Kaufman County, Texas.

Children of the Elliott-Wooldridge Marriage

  1. Art Robin Elliott was born in Fort Bend County, Texas.
  2. Mark Weldon Elliott was born in Wise County, Texas, United States.

Military Service


He enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard on 23 June 1948 and received a commission on 13 December 1951. He entered active duty 14 October 1961 as an Infantry Officer serving at Fort Gordon, Georgia until November 1963. He was transferred to West Germany to serve with the 4th Armor Division from November 1963 until May 1966.

Art's first Vietnam tour began in July 1966 where he served with the 1st Cavalry Division and later with the 88th S&S Battalion. [1]

His second tour in the republic of Vietnam started in May 1969. He served with the U.S. Military Assistance Command until he was captured by the North Vietnamese.[2] He was a Senior Advisor, 3d Battalion, 42nd Infantry Regiment, Army of the Republic of Vietnam when captured. On the day he was captured, he continued to direct air and artillery strikes when all the rest of the advisory team was either dead or wounded. As a last ditch effort, he attempted to hold off the Viet Cong troops so that the others could escape. He suffered shrapnel wounds in his legs which made movement difficult.

Prisoner of War

He was a Prisoner of War from 26 April 1970 until 27 March 1973. 1,066 days in captivity. [3]

He had been captured in Pleiku South Vietnam. His time in captivity was first spent in Laos. The first 30 days were spent in a hole in the ground in Laos. The cage was 8 feet square and his feet were kept in wooden stocks. Most of the time, the floor was covered with water. Interrogations were like inquisitions according to Art. Eventually they marched for 55 days to Hanoi over difficult and mountainous terrain. His weight went from 205 to 145 during this march. The guards struck them to make them move faster and the leeches were very bad. He reported that they arrived at a field camp near Hanoi and he was placed in solitary confinement for four months.

He eventually was taken to the Plantation where he was put in a cell with Ted Guy.

Military Honors
His Distinguished Service Cross Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 25, 1963, has awarded the Distinguished Service Cross to LIEUTENANT COLONEL (THEN MAJOR) ARTICE W. ELLIOTT UNITED STATES ARMY for extraordinary heroism in action: Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Artice W. Elliott, Infantry, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action from 21 April 1970 to 26 April 1970, while serving as Senior Advisor, 3d Battalion, 42d Infantry Regiment, Army of the Republic of Vietnam. During this period the 3d Battalion was engaged in combat with elements of the 28th North Vietnamese Army Regiment in the vicinity of Dak Seang Special Forces Camp. Despite heavy direct and indirect fire weapons barrages at the onset of each attack, he would move to a position where he could direct air strikes, gunships, and artillery strikes, disregarding his own safety. He continued to expose himself, on numerous occasions taking the enemy under fire with his own rifle and hand grenades. With all of the advisory team either dead or wounded he assumed an even greater share of the advisory effort, moving about the position advising the Vietnamese Battalion Commander, comforting the wounded, and inspiring the soldiers by his courage and stamina. As the situation became more desperate he took command of the unit and planned an executed breakthrough of the enemy encirclement, staying behind to inspire an orderly withdrawal. He was last seen firing his weapon in an attempt to hold off the enemy so the others could escape. Lieutenant Colonel Elliott's personal bravery and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.

  1. Distinguished Service Cross
  2. Legion of Merit
  3. Bronze Star Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
  4. Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
  5. Air Medal with a 3 Device
  6. Army Commendation Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster

The [full ribbon set is available here.

Retirement from the United States Army

He retired on 30 September 1980 as a full Colonel.

Death and Burial

Art died on 9 November 2012 in Colorado Springs, El Paso, Colorado, United States at the age of 83. He was buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs, El Paso, Colorado. Find A Grave: Memorial #108359115

Sources

  • 1930 United States Federal Census on 8 April in Bowie, Montague, Texas. Family 107. [4]
  • 1940 United States Federal Census on 10 April in Bowie, Montague, Texas. Page 5A, lines 8 & 9. [5]
  • Veteran Tributes [here]
  • Military Times Hall of Valor with full citation for Distinguished Service Cross awarded on 18 September 1973 found
  • Department of Defense Intelligence Agency report on information provided by an unnamed Thai Citizen discussing the transfer of Prisoners to the north from the South along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Major Elliott was one of the prisoners in a group that met up with another group sometime after 8 May 1970. Find redacted report [here]
  • POW Network Full article written by him upon return [here]
  • Grant, Zalin. Survivors. Unknown: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008. Page 269 in the section about Ted Guy beginning on 250. Discussion of time that Major Artice Elliott was in a cell with Ted Guy. When the guards threw Elliott into Guy's cell, Guy had been in solitary confinement for thirty-seven months.
  • United States Military Registers, 1902–1985. Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Library. Gives his birth date and military date on 4 June 1953 in the Army National Guard.
  • Combat Area Casualties Returned Alive File, 5/1/1962-3/22/1979 [Archival Database]; Records on Military Personnel Who Died, Were Missing in Action or Prisoners of War as a Result of the Vietnam Conflict, 1/20/1967-12/1998; Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. Lieutenant Colonel when captured. His home location was Terrell, Texas and he was married.

Footnotes

  1. 1st Cavalry was helicopters
  2. The U.S. Military Assistance Command means that he trained the South Vietnamese.
  3. NAM POW List
  4. 1930: Elliott, Jess M. 36, b. Texas, Commercial Meat traveler, head; Gladys S. 32, b. TX, wife; J.M. Jr. 13, b. TX, son; Juanita 9, b. TX, daughter; Artice W. 8 months, b. TX, son.
  5. 1940: Elliott, Mrs. J.M. 44, b. TX, 3 years high school, head; Art W. 10, b. TX, 4th grade, son.

Acknowledgements

Darlene Scott Kerr created Elliott-11816 on 20 May 2018, added bio, sources, photos. Part of personal Vietnam POW project. Not a family member of mine. If a family member who is a member of WikiTree wishes to take this over and has more information, please let me know.





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Please do not change the placement of the reference and footnote notations. 1/2 of the census data and other is lost if you do. No rule that I know of that says you have to have no space between "Sources" and References or can't have footnotes. Thank you.
posted by Darlene (Scott) Kerr

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