James E. Furr

“My aunt, Elizabeth Furr, wrote this poem about my father.”

– Susan M. Furr, Professor, Cato College of Education

James E. Furr, remembered by his daughter, Susan Furr

A veteran of action in the Pacific Theater, James Furr corresponded with his family and others proudly and colorfully.

My father, James E. Furr, was with the 439th Engineer Depot Company. Mother got a postcard from him when he was at Camp Swift, Texas, dated March 10, 1943. In a letter to the Concord Tribune written while he was at Camp Swift, he stated that the company was 99 percent from North Carolina and 10 percent from Concord. Always a numbers guy, he wrote:

“In regards to shooting, we feel as if we are as good as any company ever to go to the range. One hundred percent qualified with 24 percent experts, 50 percent sharp shooters, and 26 percent marksmen. Not bad for a five-month-old company. We feel as if we have one of the hikingest companies on the post. Last Thursday we did 32 miles in nine hours, an average of 3-5/9 miles an hour.”

He went on to train in the California desert before going to the Pacific Theater. He was in the Philippines, New Guinea, Luzon, and finally in the Japan occupation forces.