Julian Thomas Greenway

Private First Class Julian Thomas Greenway was killed in action on August 31, 1944 at Verdun, France during World War II.  He was 28 years old.

Julian Thomas Greenway was born in Henderson, Vance County, North Carolina on January 14, 1916, the son of Walter T. Greenway and Mary Clark Greenway. 

PFC Greenway was inducted into the U.S. Army on March 3, 1941 and trained at Camp Polk, Louisiana; Camp Coxcombe, California; and Fort Benning, Georgia.  He served with the 40th Tank Battalion, part of the 7th Armored Division ("Lucky Seventh") which served in the European Theater from August 1944.

The 7th Armored Division landed on Omaha and Utah Beaches, August 13-14, 1944, and was assigned to U.S. Third Army commanded by Lieutenant General George S. Patton. Equipped with M4 Sherman and M5 Light tanks, the division drove through Nogent-le-Rotrou in an attack on Chartres. The city fell on August 18. From Chartres, the division advanced to liberate Dreux and then Melun, where they crossed the Seine River on August 24, 1944.

The division then pushed on to bypass Reims and liberate Château-Thierry and then Verdun on August 31. PFC Greenway was killed in action in the battle at Verdun. In an unprecedented move, on September 7, 1944, the City of Verdun awarded the Medal of Verdun (originally a WWI medal) to the officers and soldiers of the 7th Armored. This was the first time the Medal of Verdun was awarded during WWII. Additionally, by Resolution of the Verdun City Council, dated 15 September 1944, one of the municipality’s streets was renamed "RUE DE LA 7e DIVISION BLINDEE U.S.A." in honor of the Division.

Private First Class Julian Thomas Greenway is buried in the Harris Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Dabney, Vance County, North Carolina.

Last edited: 28 April 2026