Stone Gardens: : Elvis Horace Young- An Oklahoma hero’s odyssey through war. family, and home
- Dennis McCaslin
- Sep 27, 2025
- 3 min read
In Latimer County, where the Young Cemetery cradles the legacies of its people, the story of Technician Fifth Grade (Tec 5) Elvis Horace Young (June 9, 1919 – March 13, 1989) shines as
a beacon of courage and quiet duty.
A radio operator with the 101st Airborne Division, Elvis carried the weight of World War II’s fiercest battles—D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and the storming of Hitler’s Berghof—while his heart remained tethered to his family: his parents, Dozier “Dode” and Hattie Catherine Lay Young, his devoted wife, Julia May “Judy” Gilbert Young, and the children who carried their legacy forward.
From Normandy’s beaches to the Bavarian Alps, Elvis’s journey as a soldier and father reflects the heart of an ordinary Oklahoman who helped end a global nightmare.
Dode, a World War I veteran known as “Grandode” to his grandchildren, filled their Buffalo Valley home with banjo music and card games
Hattie, born in Liberty, Casey County, Kentucky, to John Putteet “Pappy” Lay (1857–1933) and Amanda L. Richardson Lay (1864–1935), brought warmth to their household, raising Elvis alongside siblings Douglas Oswald “Doug” (1924–1976), Ila Florence King (1928–2012), and Paul Weldon (1932–1982).
Hattie’s nurturing and Dode’s melodies shaped Elvis’s character--resilient, grounded, and ready for the trials of war.
When World War II erupted, Elvis enlisted in the U.S. Army, joining the 101st Airborne Division as a Tec 5, a rank equivalent to corporal (E-5) for technical specialists. As a radio operator, he was the lifeline of the “Screaming Eagles,” maintaining communications under fire.
On June 6, 1944, Elvis landed on Omaha Beach during D-Day, part of the 101st’s support units amid the chaos of Normandy. With 2,400 American casualties under German guns, his radio work linked assault waves to command ships, ensuring coordination that secured the Allied foothold.
In December 1944, Elvis faced the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, Belgium. Surrounded by German Panzers in subzero conditions, the 101st held firm, and Elvis’s signals relayed desperate calls for air support and supplies, contributing to the division’s legendary stand and Presidential Unit Citation.
His endurance through snow and shellfire showcased the unsung grit of technical specialists.
By May 1945, as the Third Reich collapsed, Elvis’s unit reached Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, targeting Hitler’s Berghof—his opulent alpine retreat on the Obersalzberg. On April 25, the RAF’s 617 Squadron had bombed the site, and on May 4, retreating SS troops torched it after Hitler’s April 30 suicide in Berlin.
The 3rd Infantry Division’s 7th Regiment arrived first that afternoon, raising a flag and looting Göring’s art caches. The 101st’s 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, including Easy Company, followed by May 5, securing the Eagle’s Nest.
The attached 910th Antiaircraft/Tank Battalion claimed an early arrival, .Elvis, with the 101st, walked the Berghof’s smoldering ruins, exploring its charred great hall, abandoned meals, and hidden bunkers stuffed with stolen art and champagne.
Family lore claims he arrived “an hour after Hitler’s departure,” likely a misattribution to fleeing SS or officials like Martin Bormann, as Hitler was dead. As a Tec 5, Elvis ensured communications for cataloging the Reich’s looted treasures, his radio crackling with the end of tyranny.
The “storming” was symbolic, with no resistance but fierce Allied rivalry for prestige.
Returning to Oklahoma, Elvis married Julia May “Judy” Gilbert (January 2, 1932 – September 6, 1994) in 1948. Born in Donald, Yakima County, Washington, to James Alexander Gilbert Jr. (1908–1994) and Ida Elizabeth King Gilbert (1910–1974), Judy grew up with siblings Ida Joan (1930–2006), Ellen Rebecca (1934–1934), and Edna Elizabeth Stroud (1935–2014).
Her strength matched Elvis’s quiet resolve, and they settled in Latimer County, building a life rooted in love
Family accounts suggest they had at least one child, continuing the Young legacy in Oklahoma. Judy’s steadfast support helped Elvis transition from war’s scars to civilian life.
Elvis passed on March 13, 1989, at 69, and Judy on September 6, 1994, at 62. They rest in Young Cemetery
Hattie Catherine Lay Young, buried in Potts Cemetery was the heart of the Young family. Her Kentucky roots and large family--siblings Grace, Laura, Stella, Jesse, James, Tina, Lizzie, and Alton--shaped her nurturing spirit.
With Dode’s banjo filling their home, Hattie’s love sustained Elvis through war’s trials, her letters a lifeline across the Atlantic. Dode, also in Potts Cemetery passed his musical joy to Elvis, whose siblings carried the family’s spirit forward.
Elvis Young’s journey--from D-Day’s chaos to the Bulge’s frost to the Berghof’s ashes—embodies the unsung heroism of Tec 5s. His radios connected a world at war, his footsteps in Hitler’s lair marked victory’s close.
With Hattie’s love, Judy’s partnership, and their children’s legacy, Elvis’s story endures in Young Cemetery’s quiet earth.
As we mark 80 years since VE Day, this Oklahoman’s courage, grounded by family, reminds us that ordinary hearts can conquer empires.
