Esche Zeldner

Esche Zeldner registered for the United States military draft in 1941, requiring all men 18 to 30 years of age to serve one year. In February 1941 he joined the Army of the United States at Camp Edwards, Cape Cod, Massachusetts as a Private.

He advanced to Sargent at Camp Edwards and was then commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on the 16th day of June, 1942 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia to serve in the Army Corp of Engineers.

On the 18th of March, 1943 1st Lieutenant Zeldner while stationed at the Eastern Defense Force in Framingham, Massachusetts, was sent for training at both the United States Navy training school in Ft. Pierce, Florida and the Camp Picket training school in Blackstone, Virginia. He was preparing for combat.

After being promoted Captain Zeldner was assigned to a US Naval ship as part of the Amphibious Engineers serving in the Pacific theater of US Military Operations. He landed in the assault of IE Shima as both Adjutant Commander and Headquarters Company Commander of the 1118th Engineer Combat Group. Captain Zeldner served in combat against the Japanese forces in Le Shema, Okinawa and Leyte, Philippines. Captain

Zeldner was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service in this field of battle.

Four weeks after the Japanese surrender on September 4, 1945 Captain Zeldner, was part of the Engineer Combat Group that landed in Hiroshima, Japan. He remained with the Engineer Combat Group on the Bismark Archipelago, the South Philippines liberation and Hollandia.

Captain Zeldner returned to the United States in 1946 and was discharged from active duty, continuing to serve as a Reserve Officer with the Connecticut National Guard.

Following a promotion in January 1951 as the Korean Conflict escalated Major Zeldner was ordered back to active duty, first stationed at Suffolk County Air Force Base, Long Island, NY and then O’Hare Air Force Base, Chicago, Illinois and to the Air Command staff school, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

Major Zeldner represented the United States Air Force on the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission. He served on the Joint Observer Team inspecting the Demilitarized Zone in conjunction with the Korean People’s Army and the Chinese Communist Army. Major Zeldner served on the Armistice Commission participating in preparing the Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean Conflict.

Lt. Colonel Zeldner remained on active duty with the United States Air Force, serving with distinction until his retirement in 1966. He served in Japan, Korea, and the Philippines, and at Air Force bases in Illinois, California and Virginia.