The last survivor of Merrill’s Marauders, Russell Hamler, passed away December 26 2023 at age 99.
The Marauders walked 750 miles behind Japanese lines to conduct a series of operations, culminating in the capture of the airfield at Myitkyina. Of the 2,750 soldiers who started the mission, only about 200 remained combat effective by that time, and exactly two soldiers of that number had never been wounded or hospitalized.
Every surviving man was awarded a Bronze Star medal. The unit was folded into the 475th Infantry, The 475th became the 75th Infantry in 1954, The modern day Ranger Regiment is a descendent and all Marauders were honorary members of the US. Army Ranger Assiciation.
www.stripes.com
View: https://youtu.be/UCgreO4YrO8
The Marauders walked 750 miles behind Japanese lines to conduct a series of operations, culminating in the capture of the airfield at Myitkyina. Of the 2,750 soldiers who started the mission, only about 200 remained combat effective by that time, and exactly two soldiers of that number had never been wounded or hospitalized.
Every surviving man was awarded a Bronze Star medal. The unit was folded into the 475th Infantry, The 475th became the 75th Infantry in 1954, The modern day Ranger Regiment is a descendent and all Marauders were honorary members of the US. Army Ranger Assiciation.
Russell Hamler, last of famed WWII Merrill’s Marauders, dies at age 99
Hamler was the last surviving member of World War II’s famed Merrill’s Marauders, who endured harsh conditions, malnutrition and relentless tropical disease as they fought behind Japanese enemy lines in Burma.
View: https://youtu.be/UCgreO4YrO8
