Julius Ellsberry

Julius Ellsberry (1922 — December 7, 1941) was the first American to die in the Pacific during World War II. Miller, Richard E. (January 8, 2008) " [http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=4635 Julius Ellsberry] ". The Historical Marker Database - accessed August 11, 2008]

Elsberry was born in Birmingham, Alabama and was a graduate of Parker High School. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1940, and was serving aboard the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) as a Mess Attendant First Class when it was bombed by Japanese fighter planes in a surprise attack. He and 413 other crewmen were killed aboard the battleship. He was awarded a posthumous Purple Heart in honor of his sacrifice.

A Navy press release followed shortly after the announcement of Elsberry's death describing the heroism of another black seaman, then unidentified. Mess Attendant Second Class Doris Miller assumed control of a deck gun on the USS West Virginia (BB-48) after the gunner was killed and helped defend the ship. Media reports at the time often credited Ellsberry with Miller's heroism and the misidentification still sometimes persists.

The "Birmingham World" labeled Ellsberry "the Crispus Attucks of World War II" Cronenberg, Allen (2003) "Forth to the Mighty Conflict: Alabama and World War II." Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. p. 12. ISBN 0817350276] . Birmingham's Black community raised over $300,000 in war bond purchases toward the completion of a B-24 Liberator named "The Spirit of Ellsberry". Bodnar, John E. (1996) "Bonds of Affection: Americans Define Their Patriotism". Princeton University Press. p. 208 ISBN 0691043965]

Birmingham's Ellsbury Park near Finley Boulevard north of downtown was dedicated in his honor in 1979. A marker honoring Elsberry's sacrifice has also been erected in Kelly Ingram Park, a park once only open to white citizens which is named for fellow Navy veteran and Birmingham native Osmond Kelly Ingram, the first American killed in World War I.

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