Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Merrills Maurauders

Just read where Russel Hamler, believed to be the last of this awesome group of heroes has died at 99. Reading the story of all they went thru is just amazing, starting with 3000 volunteers only 200 were left at the end of their mission.

I used to get my hair cut by a gentleman who went by ‘Red’. I’m assuming because of its color when he was younger. Red had been one of Merrill’s Marauders and had some stories that he’d tell, mostly about folks he served with, the hardships, and his pride in having done what he’d done. One thing that stuck was having malaria and being considered fit for combat if your fever was under 103 degrees. He still periodically had the shakes from the after effects of prolonged malaria, and still looked malnourished. One of the greatest generation for sure. Liked to drink a bit, and the only time I was sure of a good haircut was when he was a couple drinks in and it stopped the tremors, but he wasn’t so far gone as to have different ones. He liked that I was military and we’d talk army quite a bit.

Old70

There was an old gentleman in our town who served with Merrill’s Marauders.
His name was Artie Klein.
He had a very successful lumber yard for many years here in our town.
The local newspaper did a full page story on his service when I was in high school.
What an honor and blessing to know such men.

Like many of you, I grew up with men and women who served in WWI, WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. Many of them quietly went about their life raising kids and going to work every day just to read in their obituary what they did as youngsters in some war somewhere. I know that many young boys went to our local post office on December 8th 1941 and signed up for the draft just because of what the Japanese did the day before. Or, got drafted to go to Korea or Viet Nam. So many have passed on with only a brief description of their past life in their obituary.

kwg

My grandad was one of Merrill’s Marauders. He was one of the few to make the whole operation. He didn’t share too much with me but I don’t blame him for not speaking about the horrors of war with a kid. The ONE story he told was of being so hungry they waited for the Japanese to make breakfast then sneaking into their camp and bayoneting them and eating their rice.

Tough men, Balls of twisted blue steel, everyone of them.

A good book is Shots Fired In Anger by John George.
The first edition by Samworth is the most collectable but...
The second edition by the NRA has additional information on Merrill Mauraders and a good assessment of individual Japanese weapons and their tactics. Anyone who used an M-79 in combat will be interested in the tactics used with the knee motar.
His description of being motared while under trees is good but comes a bit short of the actual fear experienced.
I don't know which edition is currently being reprinted. Be sure to ask.

There was an article in the China-Burma-India Theater Roundup - January 25, 1945 - about my grandfather finally getting paid for his time in Burma.

Tough dudes. That unit fought in some very difficult terrain.