World War II
US ArmyCompany A, 81st Tank Battalion, 5thArmored Division
Service Number: 37337948
Born: August 30, 1922 in YumaCounty
Inducted: November 25, 1942
Killed in action September 1, 1944 atNoyon, France.
Buried: Cope Cemetery
Purple Heart
| World War II US ArmyCompany A, 81st Tank Battalion, 5thArmored Division Service Number: 37337948 Born: August 30, 1922 in YumaCounty Inducted: November 25, 1942 Killed in action September 1, 1944 atNoyon, France. Buried: Cope Cemetery Purple Heart |
Son of Edward W. and Margaret Wasson Cross of Cope.
Cope Cemetery
Thursday September 28, 1944 The Akron News-Reporter
County Boy Is Killed in Action in France
Notification of their son, Melvin D. Cross, was killed in action in Francewas received by Mr. and Mrs. Ed Cross on Sunday, September 24.
The following is the text of the telegram received from the wardepartment:
"The secretary of war desires me to express his deepest sorrow that yourson, Melvin D. Cross was killed in action on Sept. 1, in France. Letter willfollow.
(Signed) Adj. Gen. J.A. Ulio"
Melvin was 22 years old and entered the service on November 11, 1942.
His parents reside southeast of Akron and a brother, Harold is a mailcarrier out of Akron.
Thursday March 31, 1949 The Akron News-Reporter
The remains of Pvt. Melvin D. Cross, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Cross of theHigh Prairie community, arrived in Akron Sunday, March 27, 1949. Melvin livedwith his parents in the High Prairie community where he graduated from highschool with the class of 1941. Military services will be held in Cope, Sundayafternoon, April 3, with military burial in the Cope Cemetery.
Pvt. Melvin Dewey Cross. son of Margaret A. and Edward Willis Cross, wasborn in Yuma County, Colorado, August 30, 1922, and was killed in action atNoyon, France, September 1, 1944 at the age of 22 years and 1 day.
He spent his entire Life in Washington County, where he attended school andgrew to manhood, until he was called to serve his country November 25, 1942. Hewas assigned to Company A, 81st Tank Battalion, immediately after enteringservice and took his basic training at Camp Cooke, California. He later went onthe Tennessee maneuvers for advanced training. He also took advanced trainingat Pine Camp, New York, and Indian Town Gap, Pennsylvania, and departed foroverseas duty from New York in February, 1944.
He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, European Theatre of Operation Ribbon,Submachine Gun Sharpshooter Badge and Pistol Marksman Badge.
He leaves to mourn his passing, his mother, Margaret; father, Edward; threebrothers, Kenneth, Harold and Raymond, all of Akron; one sister, Evelyn Jonesof Rago. A sister, Nellie, preceded him in death at the age of three months. Healso leaves a host of friends and relatives.
Thursday March 31, 1949 The Otis Independent
The remains of Pvt. Melvin D. Cross, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Cross of theHigh Prairie community, arrived in Akron Sunday, February 27, 1949. Melvin waskilled in action at Noyon, France, on September 1, 1944. He lived with hisparents in the High Prairie community until he was called to the service inNovember, 1942. He graduated from the High Prairie High School with the classof 1941. He left for overseas duty in February, 1944 and served as a machinegunner with Co. A., 81st Tank Battalion. He landed in England and laterdeparted for action in France. Military services will be held in Cope Sunday,April 3, 1949.
Pvt. Melvin Dewey Cross, son of Margaret A. and Edward Willis Cross, wasborn in Yuma County, Colorado, August 30, 1922, and was killed in action atNoyon, France, September 1, 1944 at the age of 22 years and 1 day.
He spent his entire life in Washington County, where he attended school andgrew to manhood, until he was called to serve his country November 25, 1942. Hewas assigned to Company A., 81st Tank Battalion immediately after enteringservice and took his basic training at Camp Cook, California. He later went onthe Tennessee Maneuvers for advanced training. He also took advanced trainingat Pine Camp, New York, and Indian Town Gap, Pennsylvania and departed foroverseas duty from New York in February, 1944.
He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, European Theater of Operation Ribbon,Submachine Gun Sharpshooter Badge, and Pistol Marksman Badge.
August 28, 2003 Akron News-Reporter
The French Do Remember.
Noyon Marks 59thAnniversary of Liberation on 1 September.By: Lee Zion
Over the past year we haveseen a lot of articles published bashing the French for failing to support ourglobal political positions. The common thread has always been, "Why don't theyremember what we did for them in 1918 and 1944?"
In fact the French rememberquite well. Monday, while we are celebrating Labor Day, the small French city of Noyon will mark the 59th anniversary of the day they were freed, after 1547 days of Nazi occupation, by elements of the U.S. First Army. Repeating a ceremony held every year on the first day of September, the city fathers will lay a wreath at the base of a crossroads monument erected in 1947.
Noyon is located about 67miles north of Paris on the Oise River and is just a bit bigger than Sterlingwith a population of 15,000. Noyon was founded in 51 B.C. when Julius Caesar'sRoman Legions were tromping around Gaul. Noyon's main claim to modern fame isthe town's 12th century "Gothic Cross" cathedral and the fact that John Calvinwas born there in 1509. The U.S. 1st Infantry Division spent quite a bit oftime in the area in 1918.
In the early days of WorldWar II, Noyon was overrun by the German army on June 7, 1940, three days afterthe fall of Dunkirk and three days before the Nazi occupation of Paris. Thatmarked the start of a four year occupation lasting into the late summer of1944.
The spring and summer of1944 was probably hard to endure for the citizens of Noyon. June 6th broughtnews of the Allied D-Day landings on the Normandy beaches and then littlehappened until August 1st when the breakout from Normandy started. By August16th the Allied armies had reached the Seine River and were less than 75 milesaway from Noyon. Then came another pause interrupted by the fall of Paris onthe 25th.
On August 31st, the 147thGerman Infantry Division retreated into the Noyon area to reorganize. The nextday, townsfolk who lived along the road leading from Compiegne watched andcheered as the lead elements of the U.S. First Army entered the town in theface of light German resistance.
In the point position of the U.S. column that first day of September was an armored vehicle that belonged to Company A, 81st Tank Battalion, 5th Armored Division. When the lead platoon reached the crossroads marking the center of Noyon, a German infantry squad, fighting a delaying action, fired a Panzer Faust anti-tank rocket, disabling the point vehicle and killing three of its crew.
At this point you may beasking, "Why should I care what happened in Noyon in 1944?" I will answer thatby pointing out that the machine gunner assigned to the armored vehicle crewwas one of our boys, Private Melvin Dewey Cross, a 1941 graduate of HighPrairie high school, the son of Edward W. and Margaret (Wasson) Cross, and thebrother of Mrs. Evelyn Jones. Melvin joined the army in November 1942 and waskilled in action at that Noyon crossroad just one day after his 22nd birthday.
The other members of thecrew killed in the same action were Privates Alan Reed and Everett Bee,hometowns unknown to me. A Free French Army officer, Captain Jean Torris, whowas riding in the point vehicle to guide the column, was also killed.
The simple monument the city of Noyon erected at the crossroads in 1947 provides the date and lists the names of the four soldiers who gave their lives to free the town. I learned the details about the Noyon monument from a French historian, Eloi Delbecque, who contacted me seeking information on the American soldiers for an article he was writing for publication in the September issue of a Noyon historical society newsletter.
The Noyon ceremony is butone of the many which have occurred this summer starting on the Normandybeaches and spreading across France as each city, town and crossroads villagemarks the anniversary of the day 59 years ago when the Allied army came intotheir town.
Credits