D. M. Ellett is a mechanical engineer who joined the Manhattan Project after the end of World War II. Ellett was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1922. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia.
While in school he enlisted in the reserves. In March of 1943, he was called into active duty. He went to the University of Illinois as part of the Army Specialized Training Program. Before joining the Manhattan Project, he served in various positions with the Corps of Engineers, and as an advisor for the Chinese Army.
In 1945, he became a member of the Z Division, which was assigned to Sandia Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was also the start of his long career as an engineer with Sandia National Laboratories. Ellett has also worked as a docent at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History for many years.