Interview conducted by Murray Duff on 16 April 1985 for the Ray Hillam war project. Elton enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1940, but he was used in ground combat in the Philippines in 1941. He was captured by the Japanese in 1942. He experienced the Bataan Death march for five days and was placed in a prison camp. Many men died every day because of disease and malnutrition. Elton talked about how he and his close friends kept each other alive. In 1943, he was sent to Japan. The ship he was in was very crowded and had no ventilation. He worked in coal mines 12 hours a day in Japan until the end of the war. After the Japanese surrendered, Elton returned to the United States. He said he learned the value of life from his experiences. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but did not follow many of the teachings of that faith. He thought the United States was justified in fighting Japan during the war.
