Obit: Shultz, LeRoy Lawrence (1922 - 1945)

Contact:  Stan

Surnames: SHULTZ ELLIOTT

----Sources: Marathon County Register (Unity, Clark Co. Wis.) 03/30/1945

Shultz, LeRoy Lawrence (25 Feb. 1922 - 25 Feb. 1945)

Cpl. LeRoy Lawrence Shultz, a well known young man who had made his home in the Spencer community for ten years with his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Elliott, before entering the Marine Corps, was killed in action on Iwo Jima on Feb. 25, 1945, his 23rd birthday, according to word received from the War Department Wednesday night of last week by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Shultz of Lyons, Ill. and then called the Elliott family in Spencer the same evening.

Cpl. LeRoy L. Shultz enlisted in the Marines Sept. 17, 1942. He took part in the initial landing on Bougainville and Guam, and landed on Iwo Jima on Feb. 21. He received his basic training at San Diego, Calif. and later was stationed at Camp Elliott and then Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Calif. He left from Camp Pendleton for overseas service, landing in New Zealand, Jan. 24, 1943. While overseas he had been in New Zealand, Guadalcanal, New Hebrides, Bougainville, Kwajalein, Eniwetok and Guam before going to Iwo Jima. He saw a lot of tough fighting on Guam where his only unruined possessions were pictures which he carried with him in a tin can.

Cpl. Shultz lived ten years with his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Elliott at Spencer and graduated from the Spencer high school with the class of 1940. After graduation he returned to Lyons, Ill., where he resided with his parents and was employed by the Marsuette Dairy Products Co. at Berwyn, Ill., until enlisting in the Marines. He was proud to be a Marine and kept his spirits high even when the going was tough. He never gave details of his experiences but always said he’d wait and tell them when he got back. In a letter to his girlfriend he referred to and asked that the 25th Psalm be read "if the Lord preferred to take him."

The last letter received from Happy was dated Feb. 15. He looked forward to returning to the States in April and enjoying his first furlough. He was an exceptionally good basketball player and was one of the starting five during his four years in high school. This was his favorite recreation in the Service also.

Happy is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Shultz, one brother who is in the Army Air Corps; a sister and brother at home, and other close relatives.