Skip to Main Content

Welcome to the Lamar Memorial Library!
NO FOOD ALLOWED - Drinks in covered containers are permitted.

Click Here for Information About Online Library Services and Resources, including Live Chat with a Librarian.

library homepage
Today's Hours:  

Always Remember Those Who Gave All: MC WW2 Gold Stars and MIA Survivors

William Leroy Orr

Photo Courtesy of East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association

William Leroy Orr (1925-1944)

MC Class: ex-1947*

Years at MC: *None (was planning on entering MC upon graduating high school in 1943 but joined the military instead)

Hometown: Maryville, TN

Life at MC: None

Military Branch: US Army

Military Unit: Company I, 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) ("Merrill's Marauders")

Rank: Private First Class

Medals Awarded: Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Distinguished Unit Citation

Date Missing: N/A

Date of Death: 29 July 1944

Location of Death: Burma

Circumstances of Death: Killed in action (details unknown)

Burial/Memorial Information: Plot A122, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56118289/william-l-orr) and a memorial is next to his parents' graves in the Maryville College Cemetery, Maryville, Blount County, Tennessee (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7849188/william-leroy-orr). Another memorial at East Tennessee Veterans Memorial, World's Fair Park, Knoxville, Tennessee (https://etvma.org/veterans/william-l-orr-7430/)

Additional Information: William Leroy Orr was the son of Dr. Horace Eugene Orr (Maryville College Professor of Religion and Philosophy, and Chairman of the Division of Bible, Philosophy, and Education). For more information about the famous "Merrill's Marauders" special operations force, see https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/marauders/marauders-fw.htm and https://www.army.mil/article/173880/expendable_wwii_merrills_marauders_survive_into_their_100s.