Merrill’s Maurauder inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame
The Columbus, GA Ledger-Enquirer reports that among this year’s 16 inductees into the Ranger Hall of Fame is retired 94 year-old Master Sergeant Vincent Melillo, an original member of the famed Merrill’s Marauders. Their actual designation was the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) or Unit Galahad.
They began as 3,000-man force in India where they began their training in October 1943. In February, 1944 they marched 1000 miles from India, over the Himalayas into Burma and behind Japanese lines with their 700 pack animals. By the time they finished operations in August, 1944, they had only 130 men left who could be considered combat effective, only two of those had not been wounded or ill.
In August 1944, the 5307th became the 475th Infantry and ten years later, the 75th Infantry, and therefore the predecessors of today’s 75th Ranger Regiment. According to the Ledger-Enquirer article, MSG Melillo was awarded his Ranger tab earlier this year, I guess he earned it.
MSG Melillo retired from the Army in 1965. There are only 18 surviving members of the Marauders.
Other Rangers inducted this year;
Gen. Peter Schoomaker; retired Lt. Gen. Gary Speer; retired Lt. Cols. James Dabney and Frederick Spaulding; retired Maj. Carleton Vencill; retired Command Sgt. Majs. Andrew McFowler, Doug Greenway, Bill Smith, Charles Williams, Robert Gilbert and Joe Mattison; retired Sgt. Majs. Matthew Berrena and Pat Hurley; and retired Master Sgts. Howard Mullen and Thomas Bragg.
Category: Historical, Real Soldiers
ALL members of the Marauders have been eligible for award of the Ranger tab since at least 1981 when I first read the reg on it.http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/UniformedServices/Tabs/Ranger_Tab.aspx
Out-STANDING!
bless his heart,,,look at that shit eating grin on his mug! priceless
I guess he did earn that tab.
I hope I look that good at 94!
Well done.
The way I figure it, being as they were the original 75th, that 18 other Ranger Hall Of Fame inductees should be standing there with him.
That’s like saying Elvis started out singing Gospel, so the Rock ‘n Roll Hall Of Fame would have a tough decision.
I was struck by one line: “only two of those had not been wounded or ill.”
Only two.
God bless them all.
My late Uncle Hugh was an original member. Him, my Dad an other WW2 veterans were my role models growing up. Uncle Hugh served his time with MM then went on to fight in China. His mule nunmber was 801. He trained me up before I went to RVN. If your at Benning his name is on the monument.
The 2 BN traces their origin to MM.
DETAIL!
ATTENTION!
PRESENT – ARMS!
ORDER – ARMS!
AT EASE
DISMISSED
A man’s man.
I just hope I look and feel half that good at that age
I may just be a retired, filthy leg MP (combat, of course), but I always thought all of those guys in the provisional units that did the job in combat deserved the badges and tabs that came from going through schools in peacetime. They got the ultimate OJT, in my opinion.
As one of my COs always said about Combat Vets, “They got their Varsity Patch.”
Hardcore.
When I was living in Washington, D.C. at the Ol’ Soldiers’ Home, I used to eat chow with a guy who told stories of being one of the original Merrill’s Marauders.
Eventually, he died, and I was at his graveside service.
Nothing was mentioned about Merrill’s Marauders.
All they spoke of was his Air Force career.
I heard from other guys that sometimes, when a real hero died, the guy in charge of the floor or building would steal the dead guy’s medals and claim them for himself.
Also, no matter what their actual rank was, they almost everyone will claim to have retired as a First Sergeant or a Sergeant Major.
But, that was then.
I don’t know what they’re doing now.
I doubt anyone checks to verify rank or decorations.
The only requirement that’s actually checked is eligibility to live there, i.e., did the person serve in the Armed Forces?
John remember CSM Joe Mattison from B co 1/75
Was looking for CBS newsperson Pat Brown’s 11/11/13 Veteran’s Day interview with Merrill’s Marauder Bob Passanisi about British author Gavin Mortimer’s new Merrill’s Marauder book when I came across this item about my Dad, Vincent Melillo. I am happy to say there are more than 18 surviving Marauders. There were 18 Marauders who attended their 2012 reunion … and that was misinterpreted by one reporter to be 18 surviving Marauders .. and that incorrect figure keeps popping up. The Merrill’s Marauders Proud Descendants are very happy that number is wrong. Please check out Gavin Mortimer’s book, “Merrill’s Marauders – the untold story of Unit Galahad and the toughest special forces mission of WW II.” Both Melillo and Passanisi are part of nine members of the 5307th CUP interviewed by Mortimer. Two — Edward A. “Ted” McLogan and Francis Ponder — have since died. One of the nine, Roy Matsumotop, is 100 years old.