Portrait of Gustav Henry Ilika in uniform
A World War II Service Record

Gustav Henry Ilika

Private First Class · Headquarters Company, 104th Infantry Division
Army · Service no. 36 712 960
Service Number
36 712 960
Rank documented through Oct 1944
Private First Class
Documented wartime unit
Headquarters Company, 104th Infantry Division
Theater
European Theater of Operations (ETO)
This timeline reconstructs Gus's World War II service from the VA beneficiary records, family material, an obituary and National Archives Morning Reports and orders, searched by name and service number. Each entry cites its source.

Gus appears as a Private First Class in the records through October 14, 1944. His later rank, commission date, awards and movements remain under review. Unit-history entries describe the division; they do not establish his participation in a battle.

Map of Service

Company stations documented in the cited payrolls and Morning Reports. Camp Adair is identified by the monthly payroll covers. Markers show approximate locations; the California-Arizona marker represents a broad region. At Valognes the company reported Gus on detached duty, so its station does not fix his location. His ship, ports and travel routes remain unknown.

Approximate company stations documented in payrolls and Morning Reports naming Gus Ilika

Service stops

  1. Camp Adair, OregonCompany payroll covers: Dec 1942; Mar, Jul, Sep and Oct 1943; approximate camp area
  2. California-Arizona Maneuver AreaRegional marker only; Nov 1943 company payroll names Camp Hyder, Arizona; this point does not locate that camp
  3. Camp Carson, ColoradoCompany reports 24 May and 1 Jun 1944; returned to duty 31 May
  4. Valognes, FranceCompany arrived 7 Sep 1944; Gus's arrival unconfirmed
  5. Barneville area, FranceCompany moved 26 Sep; Gus's return recorded 14 Oct; group date differs
First time here?

How to read this service timeline

This page brings together records created for different purposes. The labels below tell you what kind of evidence supports each entry; open either guide when a record or military term is unfamiliar.

Confirmed — Service record

A personal military record supports the entry.

Confirmed — Unit record

A record created by his unit names him or documents the unit’s activity.

Context

Helpful background, clearly separated from personal evidence.

Newly discovered

Information recovered during this research, rather than supplied at the start.

How to read a Morning Report

Morning Reports were daily administrative records prepared by individual Army and Army Air Forces units. They generally recorded changes—such as arrivals, transfers, promotions, illness, or return to duty—not a complete list of everyone present.

MORNING REPORT · SAMPLE
1Organization
Company A, 123rd Infantry
2Station or location
Camp Example, Virginia
3Date
14 September 1944
4Section
Personnel changes
5Pvt Smith, John A., 35123456
6asgd fr Hq Co per SO 187, Hq 123d Inf
In plain English Private John A. Smith, identified by Army Serial Number 35123456, was assigned to Company A from Headquarters Company under Special Orders No. 187.
  1. 1Organization: the company, hospital, squadron, or other unit filing the report.
  2. 2Station or location: where that unit reported from on that date.
  3. 3Report date: the date of the report, which may differ from the effective date of a change.
  4. 4Section: the part of the form containing personnel changes or the unit’s record of events.
  5. 5Soldier entry: usually rank, name, and Army Serial Number.
  6. 6Change and authority: what happened and the order authorizing it.
asgd
assigned
atchd
attached
trfd
transferred
fr
from
aptd
appointed
EM
enlisted men
SO
Special Orders
GO
General Orders
orgn
organization
sta
station
Common military and research terms
Army Serial Number (ASN)
The unique service number used to distinguish one soldier from others with similar names.
Discharge or separation paper
The document issued when a service member left active service. For many WWII Army enlisted soldiers, this is WD AGO Form 53-55. It summarizes service but is not a day-by-day history.
Morning Report
An Army unit’s daily administrative report. It usually lists people whose status changed, not every person in the unit.
Unit record
A document created by a military organization. It may name the soldier directly or provide context about his unit; the timeline states which applies.
OMPF or “201 file”
The service member’s Official Military Personnel File. Many Army and Air Force files were damaged or destroyed in the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire.
Unit and final unit
A unit is the organization in which someone served. The final unit is the organization shown at separation; it may not be the only unit in the service history.
Rank or grade
The service member’s level in the military hierarchy. A timeline may show changes in rank over time.
MOS
Military Occupational Specialty—the Army’s classification for a soldier’s primary military job.
Assigned and attached
Assigned means formally placed in a unit. Attached usually means serving with a unit temporarily while belonging administratively elsewhere.
Special Orders and General Orders
Official directives used to authorize personnel actions, awards, organizational changes, and other decisions.
Campaign credit
Official recognition for service connected with a named campaign. It does not, by itself, describe a service member’s individual actions.
Station or location
The place from which a unit filed a report. It does not automatically prove that every member was physically present there.
Source citation
The note beneath a timeline entry identifying the record or records that support it.

Service Timeline

14 min
VA date; obituary birthplace
November 3, 1921

Born in Budapest, Hungary

His family and funeral-home obituary identify Budapest as his birthplace. The VA record gives November 3, 1921 as his birth date.
Source: Drennan & Ford Funeral Home, obituary of Gustav Henry Ilika, 3 Nov 1921 to 8 Jun 2007; full page preserved 3 Sep 2026; https://www.drennanford.com/obituary/800423; VA Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS), GUS H ILIKA, born 3 Nov 1921, died 8 Jun 2007; birls_full_2022.csv, local record 8943522. SSN-redacted extract retained as birls-editorial-extract-2026-09-11.json
Army payroll and VA date; obituary differs
November 24, 1942

Entered Army service

The VA recorded November 24, 1942 as the start of his Army service. The January 1943 company payroll independently gives that date in its enlistment-date column beside Gus H. Ilika and service number 36712960. His induction place remains unknown. The obituary gives a broader 1941 to 1946 span; no located military record supports the 1941 start.
Source: VA Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS), GUS H ILIKA, born 3 Nov 1921, died 8 Jun 2007; birls_full_2022.csv, local record 8943522. SSN-redacted extract retained as birls-editorial-extract-2026-09-11.json; Hq Co 104th Infantry Division payroll, Army Unit Rosters, Roll 1445, NAID 375572086; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/375572086, January 1943, page 17, lines 3-4, image 1714; Drennan & Ford Funeral Home, obituary of Gustav Henry Ilika, 3 Nov 1921 to 8 Jun 2007; full page preserved 3 Sep 2026; https://www.drennanford.com/obituary/800423
Transfer-order date cited in payroll
November 28, 1942

Transfer order from Camp Grant

The December payroll names Gus H. Ilika, service number 36712960, and records his transfer from the 1610th Reception Center at Camp Grant, Illinois, under paragraph 1 of Special Orders 294, dated November 28. The payroll belongs to Headquarters Company, 104th Infantry Division, at Camp Adair, Oregon. November 28 is the cited order date; his exact departure and arrival dates are not stated in this entry.
scanned record
December payroll: Gus's entry at the foot of the page identifies Camp Grant and cites the November 28 transfer order. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Hq Co 104th Infantry Division payroll, Army Unit Rosters, Roll 1445, NAID 375572086; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/375572086, December 1942, page 51, lines 22-25, image 1770; Camp Adair monthly cover image 1723. The referenced Special Orders 294 have not been obtained separately.
Surname-only entry; attribution inferred
December 2, 1942

Likely joined Headquarters Company

The company's December record lists Private Ilika among the men assigned and joined on the 2nd. This entry gives his surname without a service number. The December payroll names Gus H. Ilika, 36712960, in the same company and records his transfer from Camp Grant, strengthening the attribution; the December 2 joining date is still taken from the surname-only entry.
scanned record
December record of events: Ilika appears in the entry for the 2nd. The sheet itself has no station heading. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, December 1942, Roll 1513, image 3342; monthly organization/date cover image 3339 (NAID 434775706); Hq Co 104th Infantry Division payroll, Army Unit Rosters, Roll 1445, NAID 375572086; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/375572086, December 1942, page 51, image 1770
Named Army payroll; service number matches
January 2, 1943

Gus promoted to Private First Class

The January payroll names Gus H. Ilika, service number 36712960, and explicitly records his appointment from Private to Private First Class under Headquarters Company Order 2, dated January 2, 1943. It also notes the resulting difference in pay. This independently confirms the promotion previously found in the company's surname-only record of events.
scanned record
January payroll, lines 3-4: Gus's name, service number and January 2 promotion under Order 2. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Hq Co 104th Infantry Division payroll, Army Unit Rosters, Roll 1445, NAID 375572086; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/375572086, January 1943, page 17, lines 3-4, image 1714; corroborating Morning Report, January 1943, Roll 1513, image 3358 and monthly cover 3355 (NAID 434775706)
Named monthly payroll entries
February–October 1943

The 1943 Headquarters Company payroll trail

Each monthly company payroll from February through October lists Gus H. Ilika, service number 36712960, in the Private First Class section. The March, July, September and October payroll covers identify the company's station as Camp Adair, Oregon. These records document his company membership at nine monthly checkpoints after his January promotion. They do not provide a daily account of his whereabouts or identify particular training courses.
scanned record
February 1943 payroll, page 19, line 5: Gus's name and service number. Named entries and Pfc headings have been verified for every month through October. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Hq Co 104th Infantry Division payroll, Army Unit Rosters, Roll 1445, NAID 375572086; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/375572086; February p19 line5 image1688 (Pfc heading1689); March p23 lines4-5 image1660 (heading1661, cover1649); April p25 lines9-10 image1610 (heading1611); May p9 line23 image1587; June p9 line25 image1571; July p12 line24 image1557 (heading1558, cover1550); August line7 image1544 (heading1545); September p10 line15 image1531 (heading1532, cover1525); October p10 line1 image1520 (cover1514). Originals and provenance: records/army_rosters/1943-payrolls-2026-09-12/
Confirmed — Unit record
November 17, 1943

Furlough from the California-Arizona Maneuver Area

Headquarters Company recorded Pfc Gus H. Ilika, service number 36712960, leaving duty for a 15-day furlough. The company was in the California-Arizona Maneuver Area. Its November payroll also names Gus and identifies the company station as Camp Hyder, Arizona, on a cover dated November 30. That cover does not establish his arrival at Camp Hyder or his location while on furlough. The furlough destination remains unknown.
scanned record
His name, number and rank appear in the group granted 15-day furloughs. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 17 Nov 1943, Roll 440, image 1118 (NAID 456374513); Hq Co 104th Infantry Division payroll, Army Unit Rosters, Roll 1445, NAID 375572086; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/375572086; November p8 line11 image1510, Pfc heading1511, Camp Hyder cover1505 dated30 Nov1943. Originals: records/army_rosters/1943-payrolls-2026-09-12/
Confirmed — Unit record
December 2, 1943

Returned from furlough

The company reported Gus's return to duty effective December 2. The clerk entered the change on the December 3 Morning Report, whose station heading remains the California-Arizona Maneuver Area. The December payroll independently lists his name and service number in the Pfc section; its cover uses the same regional station name. It does not identify a more precise location or a new movement.
scanned record
The report date is December 3; the return-to-duty date is December 2. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 3 Dec 1943, effective 2 Dec, Roll 38, image 2583 (NAID 457785629); Hq Co 104th Infantry Division payroll, Army Unit Rosters, Roll 1445, NAID 375572086; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/375572086; December p10 line2 image1500, Pfc heading1501, cover1494. Originals: records/army_rosters/1943-payrolls-2026-09-12/
Company training; Gus's attendance unconfirmed
January–July 1944

Headquarters Company's training reports

Headquarters Company's January 31 report from the California-Arizona Maneuver Area lists carbine training, malaria control, night compass exercises and marches. At Camp Carson, its April 20 report records day and night infiltration-course training on April 6–7, pistol familiarization on April 6, carbine firing on April 10 and M1 firing on April 11. Its May 30 report records close-combat training on May 28 and live-hand-grenade training on May 30, during Gus's documented furlough. June reports record the company entering a XVI Corps field exercise on June 6 and returning on June 9. A July 30 report records security and censorship training on July 22. These entries describe company activities; they do not name Gus or confirm which sessions he attended.
Source: Morning Reports, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division: 31 Jan 1944, image 2333 (NAID 460936156); 20 Apr 1944, image 153 (NAID 467940818); 30 May 1944, image 1904, with Gus's furlough entry of 24 May, image 1898 (NAID 473574347, Roll 263 part 2); 1 Jun 1944, image 505, recording his 31 May return, and 6 and 10 Jun, images 511 and 516 (NAID 477005985); 30 Jul 1944, image 2902 (NAID 479601328). Originals and source URL/hash provenance: research_notes/pass-07/, research_notes/pass-08/ and research_notes/pass-11/
Company movement; Gus's travel unconfirmed
March 16–18, 1944

Headquarters Company moved to Camp Carson

Headquarters Company's reports record departure by rail from the California-Arizona Maneuver Area on March 16 and arrival at Camp Carson, Colorado, on March 18, as a permanent change of station. The March 17 report lists Camp Carson in its heading but says the company was still en route. These reports do not name Gus or establish that he traveled with this party; his next located personal entry at Camp Carson is in May.
Source: Morning Reports, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 16–18 Mar 1944, Roll 24 (1 of 4), images 761–763 (NAID 464889378). Originals and source provenance: research_notes/pass-06/
Confirmed — Unit record
May 19, 1944

Twelve-day furlough from Camp Carson

Headquarters Company at Camp Carson, Colorado, recorded Pfc Ilika, 36712960, going from duty to a 12-day furlough on May 19. The clerk entered the change in the May 24 report. His destination is not stated.
scanned record
Ilika's line dates the furlough May 19, five days before the report heading. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 24 May 1944, effective 19 May, Roll 263, image 1898 (NAID 473574347)
Confirmed — Unit record
May 31, 1944

Returned to duty at Camp Carson

Gus returned from his 12-day furlough to company duty on May 31. The June 1 report identifies him by surname, service number and Pfc rank, with Camp Carson as the company station.
scanned record
The return-to-duty date on his line is May 31, not June 1. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 1 Jun 1944, effective 31 May, Roll 216, image 505 (NAID 477005985)
Company movement; Gus's travel unconfirmed
August 18–21, 1944

Headquarters Company moved to Camp Kilmer

Headquarters Company's reports record departure by rail from Camp Carson, Colorado, on August 18 and arrival at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on August 21. The reports agree on these dates but differ by ten minutes on the departure time. Neither report names Gus or establishes that he traveled with this party.
Source: Morning Reports, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 18 and 21 Aug 1944, images 1224 and 1227, item 10452, Roll 401 (NAID 565691106). Departure time: 1535 in the Aug18 report; 1545 in the Aug21 recap. Originals and URL/hash provenance: research_notes/pass-09/
Company voyage; Gus's presence unconfirmed
August 26–31, 1944

Company reports name the USAT George Washington

Headquarters Company's August 26 report records departure from Camp Kilmer that evening for the port of embarkation in Brooklyn, New York. Its August 27 report records arrival at the port after midnight and boarding at approximately 2 a.m.; the heading names the USAT George Washington. Reports for August 28–31 describe the company at sea aboard that transport, with its destination recorded as unknown. None of these reports names Gus or establishes that he was aboard. A personal passenger record or other individual evidence is still needed to confirm his crossing.
Source: Morning Reports, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 26–31 Aug 1944, images 489–494, item 27872, Roll 795 (NAID 567631397). The Aug26 ship heading is not treated as a boarding date; the Aug27 remarks describe the overnight movement. Originals and URL/hash provenance: research_notes/pass-09/
Company arrival; Gus's crossing unconfirmed
September 7, 1944

Headquarters Company landed at Cherbourg

Headquarters Company's September 7 report records disembarkation from USAT George Washington at Cherbourg, France, followed by movement by motor convoy and on foot to the Valognes Staging Area. Its preceding reports place the company at sea through September 6. These are company movements: the arrival report names no individual soldiers and does not establish Gus's ship, landing date or route.
Source: Morning Reports, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 1–7 Sep 1944, images 146–152; 8 Sep station heading image 153, Roll 459 (NAID 569261035). Original URL/hash provenance: research_notes/pass-10/569261035-145-provenance.json
Confirmed — Unit record
September 16, 1944

Detached duty with a truck company

Division headquarters ordered Pfc Gus H. Ilika, 36712960, onto detached service with Battery A, 929th Field Artillery Battalion, for duty with Truck Company 929-104-7. Letter Order 304 was issued September 17 and took effect September 16. The battery's September 21 report records the attachment of 51 enlisted men for this truck company, effective September 16, without listing them by name. These records do not specify Gus's job, cargo or driving route.
scanned record
The order names Gus in the Headquarters Company group assigned to detached truck-company duty. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Hq 104th Infantry Division, APO 104, Letter Order 304, 17 Sep 1944, paragraph 1, page 1; effective 16 Sep; filed in Morning Reports, Roll 649, image 3559 (NAID 573191318). Receiving-unit group entry: Battery A, 929th FA Bn, 21 Sep 1944, Roll 466, image 3532; attached Letter Order 309 of 20 Sep, image 3533, adds ten other men and does not name Gus (NAID 569289503; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/569289503). Originals and URL/hash provenance: research_notes/pass-13/
Confirmed — Unit record
September 19, 1944

Company report from Valognes, France

Headquarters Company filed this report from the Valognes Staging Area and listed Gus on detached duty under Letter Order 304. His company was in France, but this report does not locate Gus's truck detachment or establish his arrival date, port or ship.
scanned record
The heading reads September 19 and Valognes Staging Area. It is not a September 7 arrival record. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 19 Sep 1944, page 2 of 3, Roll 459, image 165 (NAID 569261035)
Company movement; Gus on detached duty
September 26, 1944

Headquarters Company moved to Barneville

The company's September 26 report records its move by motor transport from the Valognes Staging Area to the Barneville area. It does not name Gus. His own records place him on detached truck-company duty during this period and record his return to Headquarters Company on October 14; they do not establish that he accompanied this company movement.
Source: Morning Report, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 26 Sep 1944, image 173, Roll 459 (NAID 569261035); individual detached-service entry, 19 Sep, image 165 in the same roll; return entry, 14 Oct, image 979, Roll 646 (NAID 573176975). Originals: research_notes/pass-10/
Named return entry; group release date differs
October 14, 1944

Company recorded Gus's return to duty

Headquarters Company's October 14 report from the Barneville area records Gus's return from the 929th Field Artillery Battalion truck detachment, naming him as a Pfc with service number 36712960. Battery A's October 16 report instead records release of the 25 men from Headquarters Company effective October 15, citing the September order that includes Gus. The records do not explain this one-day difference. October 14 remains the date of the latest located individual entry naming him; his exact release date from the detachment needs clarification.
scanned record
Gus appears between Colglazier and Oathout in the three-man return from detached service. The yellow is ours — it marks his name or service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, Hq Co 104th Infantry Division, 14 Oct 1944, Roll 646, image 979 (NAID 573176975); conflicting collective release: Battery A, 929th FA Bn, 16 Oct 1944, image 3558, with attached Letter Order 304, 17 Sep 1944, images 3559–3560, Roll 649 (NAID 573191318; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/573191318). Original copies: research_notes/pass-10/
Division history; personal participation unconfirmed
Late 1944 to spring 1945

The division's later campaign

The 104th Infantry Division fought in the Netherlands in autumn 1944, then advanced through western Germany. Headquarters Company's own reports record advance elements of its forward section moving to Eschweiler on November 24, while its rear section moved from Moresnet, Belgium, to a position southeast of Aachen on November 26. These reports do not name Gus or identify which section he served with. The division's wartime booklet describes the Roer crossing on February 23, 1945, followed by the advance toward Cologne. We have not located records establishing Gus's presence in these battles. Company membership alone does not prove a combat role, an award or personal participation in a liberation.
Source: Morning Reports, Hq Co104th Infantry Division, 24 Nov1944 p2 image3376 and26 Nov1944 image3378, Roll262, NAID575075152 (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/575075152); originals: research_notes/late-1944-pass-03/. ETOUSA Orientation Section, Timberwolves: The Story of the 104th Infantry Division,1945; transcription hosted by Lone Sentry
VA service record
April 5, 1946

Release from active service recorded by the VA

The VA recorded April 5, 1946 as his release date. We have not obtained his separation document to check his discharge characterization, separation rank, place or listed awards.
Source: VA Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS), GUS H ILIKA, born 3 Nov 1921, died 8 Jun 2007; birls_full_2022.csv, local record 8943522. SSN-redacted extract retained as birls-editorial-extract-2026-09-11.json
Reported in his obituary
1946 to the early 1970s

Army Reserve service and retirement as a major

His funeral-home obituary reports Army Reserve service from 1946 to the early 1970s, when he retired as a major.
Source: Drennan & Ford Funeral Home, obituary of Gustav Henry Ilika, 3 Nov 1921 to 8 Jun 2007; full page preserved 3 Sep 2026
Obituary account
May 28, 1949

Marriage to Ruth Caroline McCullough

His funeral-home obituary reports that Gus and Ruth Caroline McCullough married in Chicago on May 28, 1949.
Source: Drennan & Ford Funeral Home, obituary of Gustav Henry Ilika, 3 Nov 1921 to 8 Jun 2007; full page preserved 3 Sep 2026
Named in federal study; identity inferred
May 2002

Local knowledge acknowledged in a river study

A Bureau of Reclamation study published in May 2002 credits Gus Ilika of Dungeness Meadows, Sequim, with sharing accounts of river conditions during high flows in 1978 and 1990 and information about gravel extraction. The name and neighborhood match his obituary, which describes his involvement with the Dungeness Meadows Dike Committee. This supports the identification, although the study supplies no birth date or military identifier. May 2002 is the report date; it does not date his conversations with the researchers or establish when he moved to Sequim.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Physical Processes, Human Impacts, and Restoration Issues of the Lower Dungeness River, prepared for Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, May 2002: acknowledgments, PDF page 143, and Appendix A, printed page A.4 (PDF page 183); identity comparison: Drennan & Ford Funeral Home, obituary of Gustav Henry Ilika, 3 Nov 1921 to 8 Jun 2007; full page preserved 3 Sep 2026; https://www.drennanford.com/obituary/800423
VA and obituary agree; memorial differs
June 8, 2007

Died in Sequim, Washington

His funeral-home obituary reports that Gus died at home in Sequim on June 8, 2007, aged 85. The VA record agrees on the date. A possible Find A Grave match, memorial 195606657, lists 2009; we have not confirmed that this memorial represents Gus.
Source: Drennan & Ford Funeral Home, obituary of Gustav Henry Ilika, 3 Nov 1921 to 8 Jun 2007; full page preserved 3 Sep 2026; https://www.drennanford.com/obituary/800423; VA Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS), GUS H ILIKA, born 3 Nov 1921, died 8 Jun 2007; birls_full_2022.csv, local record 8943522. SSN-redacted extract retained as birls-editorial-extract-2026-09-11.json; conflicting date: Find A Grave memorial #195606657
Family photographs
Undated

Gus in uniform: photographs from the family

Two photographs shared by Gus's family show him outdoors making a V sign and seated among machine-shop equipment. Their dates and locations are not recorded.
scanned record
Gus outdoors making a V sign and pointing to his shoulder patch. Undated photograph, courtesy of the Ilika family.
scanned record
Gus seated among machine-shop equipment. Undated photograph, courtesy of the Ilika family.
Source: Family photographs uploaded August 21, 2026: Screenshot_20260820-075820.png (outdoors) and Screenshot_20260820-075912.png (machine shop). Click either photograph to view the original image.
Reported in his obituary
World War II — dates not established

Bronze Star, Ranger and Airborne service reported

His funeral-home obituary describes service as a second lieutenant with the 104th Division, reports that he received the Bronze Star, and also mentions Airborne and Ranger service.
Source: Drennan & Ford Funeral Home, obituary of Gustav Henry Ilika, 3 Nov 1921 to 8 Jun 2007; full page preserved 3 Sep 2026