Editing Allen J. Ellender (section)

===World War I===
Though he received a draft deferment for [[World War I]], Ellender volunteered for military service.<ref>{{cite book |last=Becnel |first=Thomas A. |date=1995 |title=Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana: A Biography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wrbQd0_eA_EC&pg=PA24 |location=Louisiana State University Press |publisher=Baton Rouge, LA |pages=24–25 |isbn=978-0-8071-1978-5 |ref={{sfnRef|''Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana: A Biography''}}}}</ref> Initially rejected on medical grounds after being diagnosed with a kidney stone, Ellender persisted in attempting to serve in uniform.{{sfn|''Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana: A Biography''|pages=24–25}} After surgery and recovery, Ellender inquired through his Congressman about obtaining a commission in the Army's [[Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Army|Judge Advocate General Corps]], and was offered a commission as an interpreter and translator in the [[United States Marine Corps]], which he declined over concerns that because he spoke [[Louisiana French]], he might not be proficient enough in the formal French language.{{sfn|''Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana: A Biography''|pages=24–25}}

While taking courses to improve his French, he also applied for a position in the [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps#Student Army Training Corps (SATC)|Student Army Training Corps]] at Tulane University.{{sfn|''Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana: A Biography''|pages=24–25}} He was accepted into the program in October 1918, and reported to Camp Martin on the Tulane University campus.{{sfn|''Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana: A Biography''|pages=24–25}} The war ended in November, and the SATC program was disbanded, so Ellender was released from the service in December before completing his training.{{sfn|''Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana: A Biography''|pages=24–25}} Despite attempts lasting into the late 1920s to secure an honorable discharge as proof of his military service, Ellender was unsuccessful in obtaining one.{{sfn|''Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana: A Biography''|page=52}} Instead, the commander of Camp Martin replied to an inquiry from Ellender's congressman that "Private Allen J. Ellender" had been released from military service in compliance with an army order prohibiting new enlistments in the SATC after the [[Armistice of November 11, 1918]].{{sfn|''Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana: A Biography''|pages=52–53}} As his career progressed, his biography often included the incorrect claim that Ellender had served as a sergeant in the [[United States Army]] Artillery Corps during the war.<ref>{{cite book |last=Onofrio |first=Jan |date=1999 |title=Louisiana Biographical Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yHYYYlp473oC&pg=PA88 |location=St. Clair Shores, MI |publisher=Somerset Publishers, Inc. |page=88 |isbn=978-0-403-09817-0}}</ref>