Bertis Emry Green
Bertis Emry Green was born May 14, 1917, to parents Jesse James and Mattie Estelle Green. They lived in the Etha community and worked as farmers. On January 7, 1937, Bertis married Lois Irene Holcomb and they had a daughter, Vivian Inez.
In 1940, at the age of 23, Bertis registered for the draft and served in World War II as a TEC5 with the 339th Infantry Regiment (Polar Bears), 85th Infantry Division (Custer Division). The 85th Infantry Division would fight in the Italian Campaign of the war.
According to custermen.com, “The 85th Infantry Division arrived in Casablanca, French Morocco, 2 January 1944. It received amphibious training at Port aux Poules near Arzew and Oran, Algeria, 1 February to 23 March, then embarked for Naples, Italy, arriving on March 27. A selected advance detachment appeared on the Minturno-Castelforte front north of Naples, March 28. The Division was committed to action as a unit, April 10, 1944, north of the Garigliano River, facing the GUSTAV line, and held a defensive position for a month.”
It was during this time on April 14, 1944, that Bertis Green was wounded and killed. He received a Purple Heart and his remains were eventually returned to Cullman County in November 1948. He is buried in Welcome Cemetery in Baileyton. He is also memorialized at Cullman’s Veterans Park.
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