Julius Ellsberry (August 22, 1921 – December 7, 1941) was an American killed during the Japanese

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

. He was the first Alabamian killed in World War II, and one of the first Americans to die in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was killed while aboard.Miller, Richard E. (January 8, 2008)
Julius Ellsberry
. The Historical Marker Database – accessed August 11, 2008

Early life

Ellsberry was born in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

and was a 1938 graduate of Parker High School.

Military career

Ellsberry enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in 1940, and was serving aboard the as a Mess Attendant First Class when it was bombed by

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese planes in the

surprise attack Military deception (MILDEC) is an attempt by a military unit to gain an advantage during warfare by misleading adversary decision makers into taking action or inaction that creates favorable conditions for the deceiving force. This is usually ac ...

on December 7, 1941. He and 413 other crewmen were killed aboard the battleship. He was awarded a posthumous

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

in honor of his sacrifice. A Navy press release followed shortly after the announcement of Ellsberry's death describing the heroism of another black seaman, then unidentified. Mess Attendant Second Class

Doris Miller Doris Miller (October 12, 1919November 24, 1943) was a United States Navy cook third class who was killed in action during World War II. He was the first Black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the highest decoration for valor presented by ...

assumed control of a deck gun on the 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.

Legacy

The '' Birmingham World'' labeled Ellsberry "the

Crispus Attucks Crispus Attucks ( – March 5, 1770) was an American whaler, sailor, and stevedore of African and Native American descent, commonly regarded as the first person killed in the Boston Massacre and thus the first American killed in the Amer ...

of World War II".Cronenberg, Allen (2003) "Forth to the Mighty Conflict: Alabama and World War II.'' Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. p. 12. Birmingham's Black community raised over $300,000 in war bond purchases toward the completion of a

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

named ''The Spirit of Ellsberry''.Bodnar, John E. (1996) ''Bonds of Affection: Americans Define Their Patriotism''. Princeton University Press. p. 208 Birmingham's Ellsberry Park near Finley Boulevard north of downtown was dedicated in his honor in 1979. A marker honoring Ellsberry's sacrifice has also been erected in

Kelly Ingram Park Kelly Ingram Park, formerly West Park, is a park located in Birmingham, Alabama. It is bounded by 16th and 17th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues North in the Birmingham Civil Rights District. The park, just outside the doors of the 16th Street Ba ...

, which is named for fellow Navy veteran and Birmingham native Osmond Kelly Ingram, the first American killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

References

External links

* Miller, Richard E. (January 8, 2008)
Julius Ellsberry
. The Historical Marker Database * Curry, Dodson M. (January 31, 2010)
Ellsberry Memorial Park
. The Historical Marker Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellsberry, Julius 1921 births 1941 deaths Military personnel from Birmingham, Alabama United States Navy personnel killed in World War II Deaths by Japanese airstrikes during the attack on Pearl Harbor People who died at sea Deaths by airstrike during World War II United States Navy sailors African Americans in World War II