Frank Neely

Frank Aaron Neely (Oct. 15, 1920 – May 15, 1944) was a soldier from Glenmary who was killed in Italy during World War II.

See Also: Scott Countians killed in war

Biography

Born Oct. 15, 1920, Frank A. Neely was the son of Willie “Fred” Neely (1891-1959) and Edith Gertrude McCartt (1897-1996) of Glenmary. His siblings included John Benjamin Neely (1913-1996), Wanda Pearl Durham (1916-2001), Marie Neely (1918-1918), an infant (1921-1921), Lucy Ellen Freels (1922-2014), William G. Neely (1924-1992), Ruth Fullbright (1929-2015) and James M. Neely (1932-1983).

His mother’s family, the McCartts, dated back several generations in Glenmary, and several generations in Morgan County before that.

He married Lillie Mae Neely and they had a son, Clayton Hershal Neely.

He wasn’t found in the 1940 census, though the rest of the family still lived in Glenmary.

World War II

Pvt. Neely enlisted in the U.S. Army. However, enlistment records on military websites that show he enlisted on Oct. 8, 1942 at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. are incorrect. That was a separate Frank Neely who lived in Shelbyville, Tenn. Scott County’s Frank Neely entered the service on Jan. 31, 1937, which is why he wasn’t living in Glenmary when the 1940 census was taken.

Pvt. Neely served with the 756th Tank Battalion. He was killed in action on May 15, 1944. The 756th Tank Battalion had first seen action in 1943 in North Africa, and entered Italy following the Salerno landings on Sept. 17, 1943.

Aftermath

Pvt. Neely’s body was returned to Scott County for a funeral service in Glenmary and burial at the Neely Cemetery in Morgan County, which is where his parents are also buried. The cemetery is also known as Union Hill Cemetery, and is located west of U.S. Highway 27 just south of the Scott-Morgan county line.

He received the Purple Heart award. He is listed on the Scott County Veterans Memorial in Huntsville, and the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial in Knoxville.