Eli Alva Helmick

Major General Eli Alva Helmick (September 23, 1863 – January 13, 1945) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in World War I, among other conflicts, and received the Distinguished Service Medal.

Military career Helmick was born in Quaker, Indiana, He then went to the Philippines, commanding a battalion on Mindanao in 1902 against the Moros during the Moro Rebellion. After returning to the U.S., Helmick did recruiting duty in Springfield, Massachusetts from 1903 to 1906, and he commanded Fort Liscum from 1906 to 1907. He graduated from the School of the Line in 1909, from the United States Army War College in 1910. Helmick then performed Mexican Border War service along the U.S. border with Mexico from 1915 to 1916.

Helmick served during World War I, and was promoted to major general on August 8, 1918. He commanded the 8th Division from September to November 1918 and afterward commanded Base Section Number Five, Service of Supply in Brest, France. He received the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his service in Brest. The citation for the medal reads:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Major General Eli Alva Helmick, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. As Commanding General, Base Section No. 5, General Helmick has displayed brilliant administrative ability in successfully directing the manifold activities under his supervision. By his energy in expediting the completion of the various engineering projects necessitated by the enlargement of the Pontanezen Camp and the development of Brest as a foremost embarkation camp, he has rendered invaluable services to the American Expeditionary Forces. He subsequently became inspector general and was reappointed to the position on November 7, 1925. Helmick retired on September 27, 1927.

Helmick lived in Honolulu in retirement. He died on January 13, 1945, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Personal life Helmick married Elizabeth Allen Clarke on November 20, 1889, and they had three children together. Son Charles G. Helmick was a US army major general and the father of Joyce Gardiner Helmick, who was married to Lieutenant General David E. Ott.