Individual Details

CAMP LEJEUNE, N. C. May 10 - Dr. Walter E. Furr, a World War I Marine who won the Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Cross while serving with the 6th Marines, visited his old Regimental Headquarters at Camp Lejeune May 6. Welcomed aboard by Lt. Col P. I. Olson, executive officer, 6th Marines, Dr. Furr was accompanied by his son-in-law, Dr. Thomas B. Reed, of Jacksonville, N. C. It was in June of 1917 when Pvt. Walter E. Furr began drilling on the sands of Parris Island and today, 43 years later, he is still drilling. But, today there is a difference. Now he is Dr. Walter E. Furr, a practicing dentist in Franklin, and the only drilling he sees is on defective teeth. "America had been in the war about two months when I volunteered for the Marines at Franklin, N. C." said Dr. Furr, while reminiscing in Col. Olson's office. The doctor went through "boot" training at Parris Island and then was sent to Quantico before shipping out to France with the 6th Marines. Dr. Furr served with the 84th Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines and first saw action in the "quiet" sector of the trenches at Verdun. He explained that the sector was called "quiet" because there was a minimum of troop movements, but a maximum of harassing action by German planes and artillery. "I'll never forget those first days under fire. I don't guess any fighting man does," recalled the doctor. "That German artillery fired around the clock and when we quit hearing the whistle of incoming mail we knew it was time to bury your faces in the mud." Mont Blanc, Meuse-Argonne, Belleau Wood and Soissons are hallowed names in Marine tradition and well-remembered by Dr. Furr. Glancing at these and other names commemorating Marine victories that encircled the bulk head of Col. Olson's office,' Dr. Furr recalled that it was on the Soissons front in July of 1918 when he captured seven Germans and was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross for his action. The former Marine proudly commented that his DSC citation was signed by Army Gen. John J. "Blackjack" Pershing , who commanded the Allied Expeditionary Forces. "At that time the Marine Corps consisted of 14,000 men and less than 500 officers -- with 50 percent of them serving in Europe," Dr. Furr said. The Fourth Brigade, composed of the 5th and 6th Regiments and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, was the largest unit of Marines assembled during World War I. This brigade was cited by the French three times with the Croix-de-guerre -- the only unit so honored -- and members of these regiments originally cited are permitted to wear the French Fourragere. "I remember well when the award was presented," Dr. Furr recalled, "it was at Leutesdorf, Germany, on Jan. 4. 1919, and the Marine Colors were decorated by Marine Gen W. C. Neville". When questioned about transportation and communications during the first World War. Dr. Furr replied: "For long movements -- say from Bordeaux to Verdun -- it was either by motor lorries or the 40 and 8 French boxcars (40 men or 8 horses -- mostly it was by 'shanks mare' (walking)." The doctor said that communications were almost primitive when compared with today's rapid electronic transmittal of information. Dispatch riders on horses and motorcycles were the principal means of "spreading the word", with carrier pigeons and messenger dogs used for long-distance and dangerous missions. Before Dr. Furr departed from Camp Lejeune, Col. Olson presented him with a modern copy of the French Fourragere in memory of his visit. In acceptance, Dr. Furr said, "I think the Marines are the best outfit and I'm proud to have been associated with them." After being discharged from the corps in 1919, Dr. Furr returned to his former trade as a barber. Some months late he quit barbering to attend the Atlanta Southern Dental School in Atlanta, Ga. Now 67 years of age, Dr. Furr has been practicing dentistry for the past 37 years and has no immediate plans for retirement. He is the father of four children, two boys and two girls, and has 11 grandchildren.
The Franklin Press, Franklin, North Carolina, May 19, 1960

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Birth	19 May 1893	Cabarrus County, NC
Marriage	29 Jun 1921	Cabarrus County, NC - Burdell Rose WILLIAMS
Occupation	1930 - 1950	Dentist - Franklin, Macon County, NC
Death	24 Apr 1971	Franklin, Macon County, NC
Burial		Woodlawn Cemetery, Franklin, Macon County, NC
Military		in World War I
Soc Sec No		245-60-0031

Spouse	Burdell Rose WILLIAMS (1898 - 1984)
Child	Dr. Walter Eugene "Gene" FURR Jr. (1922 - 2020)
Child	Living
Child	Frances Elizabeth FURR (1928 - 2020)
Child	Living

Father	Mathias Franklin "Frank" FURR (1866 - 1947)
Mother	Annie Elizabeth FISHER (1872 - 1940)
Sibling	Howard Ernest FURR (1894 - 1967)
Sibling	Arthur Jason FURR (1896 - 1981)
Sibling	Nora Ethel FURR (1898 - 1957)
Sibling	Beulah Myra FURR (1901 - 2000)
Sibling	Martin Franklin "Frank" FURR (1904 - 1966)
Sibling	John Henry FURR (1907 - 1908)
Sibling	Roy Woodley FURR (1910 - 1967)
Sibling	Robert Wallace FURR (1910 - 1960)
Sibling	Harry Wilson FURR (1914 - 1961)

Notes