Pilot, P.O.W., Legendary Coach
*IN MEMORIAM*
Turk passed away December 15, 2016, surrounded by his children in the home he lived in for 61 years. A memorial was held at North HS in Bakersfield, at the football field named in his honor. Here is his obituary from Bakersfield.com
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93-year-old Jordan “Turk” Eliades of Bakersfield, CA appears on episode #435 of Hometown Heroes, debuting September 2, 2016. A native of McGill, NV, Eliades played football for the University of Nevada before serving as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II.
Turk Eliades in the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang. For more photos relating to Turk and his story, visit the Hometown Heroes facebook page.
God bless you and all our verterans. Your story and others of your generation are so moving and go beyond courage and patriotic action… They are spiritual!!!????????
Hello I am a Dutch WW2 Airwar researcher and chairman of the Allied Airmen Foundation. We are researching a shot down P-51 with Pilot Lt. Eliades. He came down by parachute near the Dutch village of Haaften.His wingman Lt. Lapham was shot down and killed just moments before him.We are planning a museum and remembrance route for the allied airmen who were shot down by the Germans in this area including Lt. Eliades. I would like to contact him or his family to inform him of this.
Sincerely
Peter den Tek
Chairman Allied Airmen Tribute
I will pass on your info. Godspeed!
Thank you so much!
I was a student of Mr. Eliades and I appreciate that you are doing this. This is how I found this post. My husband’s mom just passed away and he has subsequently found a half-sister which started him down memory lane about his dad who also served at this time. Do you have any help for us to learn about his missions, etc. or POW time? We are not gifted in research.
Yes, e-mail his name and anything you know about the unit he was in to paul@hometownheroesradio.com and I’ll see what I can find for you.
Wished I could think Turk for Algebra and let him know I got to work on the Space Shuttle
Bob – his children will be enthused to hear that, I’m sure.