Frank Merrill
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| Frank Merrill | |
|---|---|
| December 3, 1903 – December 11, 1955 (aged 52) | |
 Maj. Gen. Merrill |
|
| Place of birth | New Hampshire |
| Place of death | Fernandina Beach, Florida |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1922- |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | 3rd Special Operations Squadron |
| Commands held | Merrill's Marauders |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal Purple Heart Bronze Star Legion of Merit |
Frank Dow Merrill (born December 4, 1903 in New Hampshire – died December 11, 1955 in Fernandina Beach, Florida) is best remembered for his command of Merrill's Marauders, officially the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional), in the Burma Campaign of World War II. Merrill's Marauders came under General Joseph Stilwell's Northern Combat Area Command. It was a special forces unit modelled on the Chindits' long range penetration groups trained to operate from bases deep behind Japanese lines.
Merrill had enlisted in the US Army in 1922 and earned the rank of sergeant before attending West Point where he graduated in 1929. In 1938, Merrill became the Assistant Military Attache in Tokyo where he studied the Japanese language. He joined General Douglas MacArthur's staff in the Philippines in 1941 as a military intelligence officer. Merrill was on a mission in Rangoon, Burma at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack and remained in Burma.
General Merrill's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Purple Heart, Bronze Star , Legion of Merit, and Combat Infantryman Badge.
After World War II and service in the post war Philippines, Merrill became the New Hampshire Commissioner of Highways. He was elected President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials but died two days later.[1]
Camp Frank D. Merrill, near Dahlonega, Georgia, is home to the three-week mountain training phase of the United States Army Ranger School.
Merrill was played by Jeff Chandler in the 1962 Merrill's Marauders (film).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ www.fhwa.dot.gov
[edit] External links
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