First Lieutenant Alfred Casewell Emert was born March 12, 1919 in Lincoln, Washington to William (1877-1944) and Mary Caroline Ogle Emert (1881-1969). He was the tenth of eleven children. These Sevier County natives had migrated to Washington sometime before the birth of their second child in 1903. Throughout his childhood, the family moved among various farms in Washington and Oregon.
Alfred first served in the Army from 1935 to 1938. He re-enlisted in 1943, by which time, he had relocated to Knoxville. He was married to Ada Garland, a Home Demonstration Agent for Sevier County, on November 18, 1943.
When he enlisted for the second time, Alfred was assigned to the 36th Bomber Squadron, 801st Bomber Group and appointed a lieutenant. His actual role was as bombardier. This squadron was known as the Carpetbaggers, and they flew covert missions delivering supplies for the Office of Strategic Services, an intelligence agency. On July 5, 1944, his plane (Aircraft B-24-DSA) departed from Harrington, England intending to deliver supplies to the French Resistance. The plane was shot down by a German nightfighter over Tranville, Eure-et Loir, France. None of the eight-member crew survived. They were initially buried at Aubrais, Loiret Communal Cemetery, France. They were awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.
One month after Alfred’s death, his wife Ada gave birth to their only child, a daughter named Alfreda. Ada never remarried and spent her life teaching in Johnson County, then Knox County schools.
Sometime after the war, Alfred’s body was repatriated to the United States and he was buried in Olney Cemetery, Pendleton, Oregon. His memorial page at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial can be found here: https://www.etvma.org/veterans/alfred-c-emert-10282/.
