Ellis, Earl Hancock, 1880-1923

Lieutenant Colonel Earl "Pete" Hancock Ellis was a brilliant planner and a principal staff officer to General John A. Lejeune in World War I, who forecast the amphibious struggle for the Pacific more than 20 years prior to World War II. Believing war with Japan was inevitable, he traveled among the Japanese in the forbidden Caroline Islands and died there under mysterious circumstances, on 12 May 1923.

Earl "Pete" Ellis was born on 19 December 1880 at Iuka, Kansas, and began his career in the United States Marine Corps in 1900 as a private. On 6 December 1901, he became a second lieutenant. Early in 1902, he left the United States, and arrived on 13 April at Cavite, Philippine Islands. In the years preceding World War I, Captain Ellis was sent out on special terrain study and intelligence service in the West Indies and at the Naval Station in Guam. Upon his return from Guam, he served as Aide-de-Camp to Major General Commandant George Barnett. On 16 March 1917, he was detached from Headquarters and ordered to Quantico, Virginia.

On 25 October 1917, Major Ellis left Quantico for temporary foreign shore expeditionary service in Europe for the purpose of obtaining information concerning the methods of training troops. He sailed via the USS Von Steuben from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 29 September

Lieutenant Colonel Earl Hancock "Pete" Ellis (December 19, 1880 – May 12, 1923) was a United States Marine Corps Intelligence Officer, and author of Operations Plan 712: Advanced Base Operations in Micronesia, which became the basis for the American campaign of amphibious assault that defeated the Japanese in World War II.

During World War I, Ellis established his reputation as a superior administrator and trainer when he played a large role in the creation of Marine Corps Base Quantico and operation of the Marine Corps' first Officer Candidate School. He also earned accolades for his work as an organizer when he served as one of the lead staff officers responsible for planning the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives.

Earl Hancock Ellis, known at Pete, was born December 12, 1880 in Pratt County, Kansas. He attended Golden Valley School, a rural grade school and later, Pratt High School. During his sophomore year, the Spanish-American War broke out. On September 3, 1900, he enlisted in the Marines. From there, he rose through the ranks to become an officer and ultimately a Lieutenant Colonel. 6 Lt. Col. Ellis disappeared while on an undercover mission in 1923. Records indicate that he was on a mission to expose Japanese fortifications in Micronesia. He was found dead in Palaua, Caroline Islands. Ellis was a recipient of the Navy Cross and the French Croix Le Guerre for his role in planning the last major victory in France in World War I; he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. A Personal Award Recommendation nominating Earl Ellis for a Congressional Medal of Honor was developed by Cletis Miller in 2001