Marlie Cross

Marlie Cross (March 2, 1919 – Feb. 26, 1944) was a Scott County soldier who died of wounds received in battle during World War II.

See Also: Scott Countians killed in war

Biography

Born March 2, 1919 in Winona, Marlie Cross was the son of Evertt Cross (1888-1967) and Emma Jane Hicks (1898-1984). His siblings included Billy Joe Cross (1921-2015), Wilma Collins (1924-2017) and Mary Jane Brown (1932-2017).

The Cross family was from eastern Scott County and lived in the Rock House area near Huntsville. Marlie’s great-grandfather, Newton Perry Cross, served in the Union army during the Civil War. Marlie was not closely related to Clinton Cross, who was from nearby Smith Creek and was also killed during the war.

World War II

PFC Cross enlisted in the U.S. Army on Sept. 19, 1941 at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., and was assigned to the 106th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. He trained at Camp Wolters in Texas.

His regiment was fighting in the Marshall Islands in February 1944 when he was wounded. He was a patient on the U.S.S. Solace when he died on Feb. 26, 1944 of an infection in his right leg that was a result of the wounds he received.

Aftermath

PFC Cross’s body was transferred to the U.S. Army Mortuary in Honolulu on March 3, 1945, then returned to Scott County for burial in the Will Cross Cemetery at Rock House, where his parents are also buried. He received the Purple Heart award.

He is listed on the VFW Post 5669 Memorial Wall in Oneida, the Scott County Veterans Memorial in Huntsville, and the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial in Knoxville.