Loren Eshelman was born to Harvey and Nita Easter Eshelman in Abilene, Kansas. He attended Kansas State College. Eshelman served in the Navy as a Seaman 1st class. His service number was 9571840. He served on board the USS Enterprise beginning on January 28, 1945 and served until at least January 1946. The USS Enterprise is just one of three carriers commissioned before the war to survive the war. She participated in more major actions of the war against Japan than any other United States ship. Eshelman's experience began in January 1945, just after the ship left Pearl Harbor for the Philippines. Enterprise carried an air group specially trained in night carrier operations. Her hull code changed from CV to CV(N), the "N" representing "Night". She joined Task Group 38.5 under ComCarDiv SEVEN (CTG-38.5) and swept the waters north of Luzon and of the South China Sea during January 1945, striking shore targets and shipping from Formosa to Indo-China including an attack on Macau. After a brief visit to Ulithi, Enterprise joined TG 58.5 on 10 February 1945, and provided day and night combat air patrol for TF 58 as it struck Tokyo on 16–17 February. She then supported the Marines in the Battle of Iwo Jima from 19 February – 9 March, when she sailed for Ulithi. During one part of that period, Enterprise kept aircraft aloft continuously over Iwo Jima for 174 hours. Departing Ulithi on 15 March, the carrier continued her night work in raids against Kyūshū, Honshū, and shipping in the Inland Sea of Japan. Damaged lightly by an enemy bomb on 18 March, Enterprise entered Ulithi six days later for repairs. Back in action on 5 April, she supported the Okinawa operation until she was damaged on 11 April—this time by a kamikaze—and was forced back to Ulithi. Off Okinawa once more on 6 May, Enterprise flew patrols around the clock as kamikaze attacks increased. On 14 May 1945, she suffered her last wound of World War II when a kamikaze Zero, piloted by Lt. J.G. Shunsuke Tomiyasu, destroyed her forward elevator, killing 13 and wounding 68. The carrier sailed for the Puget Sound Navy Yard, where she underwent repairs and an overhaul from 12 June - 31 August 1945. At some point Eshelman was in St. Louis, Missouri, where he met his future wife Florence Rohm, who was working for a physician there. They married on June 13, 1945 in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Columbia, Illinois when he was on leave when the ship was being repaired. After his service they began their marriage of 53 years in Houston, Texas. They had 2 sons, 7 grandchildren and at least 11 great grandchildren. Courtesy fold3.com, findagrave.com, en.wikipedia.org