Another victim of the taking of Iwo Jima was Marine Corporal Rufus Scot McKee (1920-1945), Ser # 334415, who was killed in action on Feb. 25, 1945, in Iwo Jima, Ogasawara-shichō, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan, as a member of Co. K, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division.
Rufus Scot McKee was born on Feb. 7, 1920, to Norris A. (1882-1983) and Ruth Elma Mills McKee (1886-1971 in Water Valley, Miss., but had moved to Memphis as a child of three with his family.
He attended South Side High and was a former employee of Memphis Furniture Co and he was also a Press Scimitar newspaper carrier for several years while attending high school.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on December 12, 1941, and went to boot camp at Parris Island, SC. After his initial training finished, he was transferred to Marine Barracks, Receiving Station, Naval Operating Base (NOB) Norfolk, Va.was stationed at Norfolk, VA, where he was promoted to Corporal in October 1943.
He married the former Miss Polly Thompson (1925-2016) in 1943 and became a father on Sept. 3, 1944, when his daughter Lana Jean McKee was born.
In addition to his wife and daughter, his parents and five sisters were left to mourn his loss.
He was originally interred in the Iwo Jima 5th Marine Division Cemetery, Kazen Retto on Iwo Jima, Japan, and was later repatriated here on December 17, 1948.
The following report was printed on page 14 of the April 8, 1945 edition of the Commercial Appeal.
Overseas Seven Months
Corp. Rufus S. McKee, 24, husband of Mrs. Polly McKee of Covington, and son of Mr. and Mrs. N. A. McKee of 1090 Azalia, was killed in action on Iwo Jima Feb. 25.
Corporal McKee had been in service three and one-half years, seven months of it overseas. Before entering service, he was an employee of Memphis Furniture Co. He played football at South Side High. He was born at Water Valley, Miss., and was a member of the LaBelle Baptist Church.
He also leaves one daughter, Lana Jean McKee; five sisters, Mrs. Harry Pendleton, Mrs. O. C. Clark Jr., Mrs. Joyce Stevens, Mrs. J. D. Stroup and Miss Mary Jane McKee, all of Memphis, and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Bell of Memphis. The Commercial Appeal April 8, 1945
His wife, who lives in the Mt. Carmel community, has been informed. He was a member of the 4th Division.
His remains were returned to Covington on December 1948, and he was interned at Memphis National Cemetery on Dec. 17, 1948. His final resting place is located in Sect. H, Site 5636.