ELLIOTT DURAND, JR.

SJMA 1895- 97

KILLED IN ACTION, ST. MILHIEL, FRANCE

14 SEPTEMBER 1918

Enrolled but never summoned to serve in the Spanish-American War. On March 17, 1918, he reenlisted in the Aviation Corps and was shipped overseas. Rode shotgun in a Breguet 14 flight. It was business as usual for Durand and his combat partner, 1st Lt. John James Goodfellow Jr., as they conducted a flight check to document any changes in the position of the enemy lines. A flurry of gunfire erupted between Durand and Goodfellow and the seven German planes that had just appeared in the sky. Underneath them in the trenches, American soldiers celebrated as they saw Durand shoot down the first Nazi plane with his machine gun. After shooting down one enemy plane, Durand saw six more approaching. Durand sprayed and hit the fifth plane as it came in, sending it into a death spiral. Durand's accurate shooting was paying off, and with only four planes left, their chances of survival were improving. Another similar battle ended with Durand shooting down the third jet, which similarly "steaked down in a ribbon of flame and smoke." The Germans, down to their last two planes, reorganized. The Germans had a new counterattack planned, and they waited for the perfect moment to fire on Durand and Goodfellow. A bullet pierced a vital section of the plane as Goodfellow and Durand were getting ready for what they thought would be a major victory. More than one bullet went through the wings and the gas tank. Goodfellow made a valiant effort to land the jet before it crashed, but was unsuccessful. Before the plane crashed into a grove of trees, Durand jumped out of it to save his life. Durand was killed instantly, while his copilot, Goodfellow, was subsequently located still fastened inside the aircraft. As of the 14th of September, 1918, they were both officially declared dead.