Elam J Cronquist was born on the 15th of July 1923 in Logan Utah the 8th of 10 children. He spent his younger years working on his family farm before enlisting in the Army in May of 1943. He was one of 3500 men that were hand picked volunteers specially formed for the tough beachhead invasions and spearhead battles that were known as the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment Combat Team. They were an elite corp of American troops better than any Hitler possessed as their battlefield victories soon proved. They were screened during basic training and selected on the basis of IQ physical endurance and combat skills. All became accomplished parachutists. All became expert marksmen. The unit’s assignment in the invasion of Southern France was to parachute into a drop zone behind the Nazi beachhead defenses and cut off their reinforcements while other US troops stormed the beaches. The air transport was fumbled and the paratroopers were scattered 30 to 40 miles inland.
