#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Wilbur Red Elk Ellis

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Wilbur “Duke” Red Elk Ellis.

Duke served in the Oklahoma Army National Guard, 45^th Infantry Division from May 1953 to June 1955, in the Army from June 1955 to April 1978, and with the 5^th Special Forces Group in Vietnam from September 1967 to August 1968. He also served with the 8^th Infantry Division, 11^th Airborne Division, 101^st Airborne Division, and the 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th and 77^th Special Forces Groups. Duke served at multiple locations stateside including Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He also completed many deployments overseas including to Germany, Central and South America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Duke was the first of six Comanches to earn the “Green Beret” as a member of the Army Special Forces. Duke is the second oldest living Comanche Vietnam War Veteran and one of only six Comanches to earn the second highest military enlisted grade of E-8.

Thank you for your service, Duke!

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Graphic By Lilian Vo: Lilian Vo is an undergraduate senior at George Mason University studying Global Affairs and Intelligence Analysis.