From Military.com:
“Legendary
WWII Jungle Fighters Finally Have the Congressional Gold Medal”
(In this
April 3, 1944 photo, a jungle fighting outfit known as "Merrill's
Marauders," pose for a photo in North Burma, now known as Myanmar. The
World War II unit that spent months marching and fighting behind enemy lines in
Burma has been approved to receive Congress' highest honor.)
President
Donald Trump has signed into law a bill authorizing the Congressional Gold
Medal for the legendary all-volunteer jungle fighters of World War II known as
"Merrill's Marauders." In a statement Saturday, Trump said he was
approving the award for the soldiers of the Army's 5307th Composite Unit
(Provisional) in "recognition of their bravery and outstanding service in
the jungles of Burma during World War II." Bill sponsor Sen. Johnny
Isakson, R-Ga., who resigned from Congress in 2019 for health reasons, noted
that the Marauders served as role models for today's special operations forces.
The mountain phase of Army Ranger School is taught in Dahlonega, Georgia, at
Camp Frank D. Merrill, named after the unit's commander. In addition, the 75th
Ranger Regiment, headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgia, traces its history to
the Marauders, said Isakson, former chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs
Committee. The Marauders were formed in 1943 out of the vision of Maj. Gen.
Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell, who saw the need for "long-range
penetration" units to combat the Japanese in Burma, now Myanmar. He named
Merrill, a brigadier general, to lead the missions, code-named
"Galahad." Although fully operational for only a few months, the
Marauders gained a reputation for fierce fighting and endurance on long-range
marches across forbidding terrain. About 3,000 soldiers volunteered for the
unit; eight survive today.
The
Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow, has
been awarded more than 160 times, mostly to individuals but also to groups or
units for distinguished service. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded the
medal to the "Doolittle Raiders," led by then-Lt. Col. James
Doolittle, who carried out the first air operation against the Japanese
homeland during World War II.
^ This is
long-due. The Marauders did so much in such a short amount of time. ^
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