Elvin arrived in Charleston, SC via hospital ship in mid September, 1944. After a brief stay at Stark General Hospital1, he was transported and admitted to McGuire General Hospital in Richmond, VA on September 25, 1944. He would have several additional surgeries while at McGuire.
On July 22, 1945, over a year after being wounded, Elvin was admitted to the convalescent hospital at Camp Pickett, VA where he was honorably discharged a few days later. He had lost around forty pounds since being wounded.
Elvin eventually recovered enough to return to work at Bossong Hosiery. He and Nettie built a house in Ramseur and welcomed their second child, Jeffrey, in 1948. Third son Brian was born in 1959, and Elvin was appointed Ramseur postmaster the same year. He retired in 1988. Elvin continued his war-related service as a DAV commander and member of the VFW for many years. Ensuring that local veterans recieved their earned benefits was lifelong interest.
His beloved wife, Nettie, died suddenly in 1992. He later married Doris, a widow with three sons of her own, and they lived a wonderful 20 years together. Doris died in 2018, four years after Elvin.
Today, Elvin’s army uniform and service record is on display in the Town of Ramseur Museum.
Footnotes:
- Stark General Hospital opened for patients in May 1941 and became became the debarkation hospital for war casualties arriving at the Port of Charleston. ↩︎
Diary of an Infantryman 