Marion Charles Cranefield
First Lieutenant
Marion Charles Cranefield
Hometown
Date of Birth
Location of Death
Date of Death
Location of Burial
More About First Lieutenant Cranefield
Lieutenant Cranefield graduated from Madison (Central) High School alongside his twin brother Paul in 1914. He then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin—Madison (where his father was a professor of horticulture) but left school to join the Wisconsin National Guard his junior year.
Lt. Cranefield originally enlisted as a private but was later commissioned a second lieutenant at Camp Douglas. In July 1917, he left with his company (Company G) for advanced training in Texas and was assigned to the 127th Infantry of the 32nd Red Arrow Division. They sailed for France sometime after their training. On July 31, 1918, Lt. Cranefield led his platoon from Château-Thierry to head an assault in the Battle of Belleau Wood.
It was during this assault that he was killed in action. He is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery near Speedway Road with his parents. His grave is decorated by VFW 1318 members on Memorial Day and Christmas Day. The Madison post is named for Cranefield.