NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MERRILL’S MARAUDER DAY

The 70th Anniversary of the disbanding of the 5307th Composite Unit Provisional, or Merrill's Marauders is coming this August 10th.  Long overshadowed by other combat theaters and more famous units, Merrill's Marauders and the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations rarely receives the attention it deserves.  Family members of these heroes now are working feverishly to get every State in the Union to designate August 10, 2014 as National World War II Merrill's Marauders Day.  Please see the information below and see if your state is listed.  If not, contact me and I'll get you in touch with the Descendants.  Karl

Merrill's Marauder Vincent Melillo (Ranger Hall of Fame member) and Ranger Veteran Tommy Amenta (Ranger Up)

The Merrill's Marauders Proud Descendants, a non-profit organization that plans reunions for the aging WW II Merrill's Marauders of the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, is in the process of having August 10, 2014, declared National WW II Merrill's Marauders Day by the governors of all theUnited States. 2014 is the 70th anniversary of the Merrill's Marauders campaign ... including its battles, history-making 1,000-mile march behind enemy lines and the August 10, 2014, disbanding of the unit. The MMPD hopes the proclamation will generate recognition for this "forgotten unit" and its "forgotten theater," the China-Burma-India Theater. There are approximately 50 remaining original Merrill's Marauders, out of almost 3,000, who served under General Frank D. Merrill with the 5307th Composite Unit Provisional. The 2014 Merrill's Marauder reunion will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin over Labor Day weekend. Bob Passanisi, who turns 90 in July, is the Merrill's Marauder historian/spokesman and out-going editor of the "Burman News." The Merrill's Marauders website, which is linked with the MMPD website, is http://www.marauder.org/   The website is currently being updated to reflect the addition of three more Merrill's Marauders into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame, making that total 25. Below are the proclamation clauses the MMPD is sending for consideration to the individual governors:

    NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MERRILL’S MARAUDER DAY

WHEREAS: In 1943, almost 3,000 men from the jungles of Panama and Trinidad, Guadalcanal, New Guinea, New Georgia and the United States answered President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s call for a secret “dangerous and hazardous” mission, not knowing where they were going or what they would be doing; and

WHEREAS: This unnamed provisional unit of U.S. Army volunteers, expected to have more than 85 percent casualties, landed October 31, 1943, in Bombay, India, and was officially designated January 1, 1944, as the 5307th Composite Unit Provisional, code-named "Galahad" and later nicknamed Merrill's Marauders by the press after their commander, Gen. Frank D. Merrill. They were the first American ground troops to fight the Japanese in Asia, and,

WHEREAS: With only what they could carry on their backs or pack on mules, Merrill’s Marauders walked farther, almost 1,000 miles, than any other WW II fighting force, trudging behind enemy lines up the foothills of the Himalayas and into the jungles of northern Burma to capture the only all-weather airstrip May 17, 1944, at Myitkyina, crushing Japan’s control of the sky and enabling the Allies to begin flying supplies into Burma so the Ledo and Burma roads could be connected and a crucial pathway opened up into China; and

WHEREAS: It has been 70 years since the short-lived Merrill’s Marauder unit of the mostly overlooked China-Burma-India Theater of Operations was disbanded August 10, 1944, after defeating the Japanese 18th Imperial Division, which vastly outnumbered them, in five major battles and 30 minor engagements. Jungle diseases ravaged their numbers so only about 300 of the approximate 1,300 remaining Merrill’s Marauders were still fit for combat when they reached their objective, and later went on to join replacements who continued to fight in Burma as the 475th Infantry, which became part of the Mars Task Force; and

WHEREAS: For their accomplishments in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, Merrill’s Marauders were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, and have the extremely rare distinction of every member of the unit receiving the Bronze Star Medal. There were six Distinguished Service Crosses, four Legions of Merit and 44 Silver Star Medals awarded. Twenty-five Merrill’s Marauders have been inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame. The Merrill’s Marauder legacy continues to be honored today by members of the 75th Ranger Regiment who wear the Marauder patch as their crest; now

LIST OF STATES COVERED as of JUNE 29

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
California
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Iowa
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wyoming

Job Hunting

As most veterans take the plunge back into society after military service many are running into road blocks. Obstacles that seem very large with little experience in the outside world can be overwhelming. Finding the right mentors and the right support is key to becoming successful. Since I just graduated college with a Bachelors of Science in Human Services Psychology, finding jobs have been frustrating. I realize that a degree in Human Services does not really open up a ton of options in the job market. Utilizing my degree isnt really my first choice in pursuing a certain job or company. But I do know that my military background and coupled with a college degree I can add value to a company that has the capacity to allow it. My knowledge of people and the skills I developed in the military are not teachable.

With that said, I am learning to tweak my resume to make my skills marketable. My experience combined with a degree isnt much to be disappointed about. Getting in front of the right people and as GallantFew has equipped me to network through the "back door" has also been very beneficial. Making contact with people, veterans, friends, and church members that are already within the company you are pursuing has proven successful. So far I have driven to Iowa for a job interview at Cargill. I have talked with Koch Industries about possible options at their Headquarters in Kansas and am currently looking at the Social Security Administration for a direct hire position. Being a veteran has its pay offs. Sometimes keeping my mind positive is key to keeping me on task. Persistence pays and if anything I am proving to myself that I do have the power to get a job. I have the power to become a better person through my own skills. Dont let the negative thoughts pile up, prioritize your goals and anything is possible.

As a veteran and as a person who believes that the power lays within, I had to reach out at my darkest hours for help. The people who allowed me succeed are the same people who want me to succeed. Finding the right groups and the right mentors to share your time with will help put you back on the path to success. GallantFew has given me the power and the tools necessary to succeed and now I have the skills to pass that on to my peers. There are men and women that I served with that their family does not get to witness them become successful. At the very least, do it for them. As a collective group of people that have fought gallantly for our freedom, who can stop us?

Random thoughts

JD

Airborne Ranger in the Sky

GallantFew has created a new tribute site for Rangers:  www.ARITS.org or www.AirborneRangerintheSky.com.

Here's our first page:  Ranger Aaron Barr.

Take a moment and learn "Why".  Here are some high points.

• Establish a historical record of every Ranger's service in a controlled, managed environment
• Any Ranger that has passed on to the Patrol Base in the Sky may be listed 
• Never a cost to anyone for creating and maintaining the tribute page
• Forever ad-free
• Accept donations to maintain and improve the site
• Offer a link for a veteran viewing to connect to the GallantFew community for help (or to help)

This site just launched.  We need you to go establish a page for your Ranger!  Please give us your opinions/recommendations and tell us if something doesn't work.

I added these steps to help you get started as we build this into a comprehensive library of Ranger hero history that will remember and pay tribute to our Airborne Rangers in the Sky.  km

Here are the steps to a successfully published biography:

1. Do your homework, gather the required info, be thorough.
We require, at a minimum :
full name
rank
dob
date of casualty
hometown
several paragraphs of personal and military history
photographs
awards
unit assignments
...of the departed Ranger.

2. Register on the site, membership is free - Register HERE now !
Once registered, you will get a Welcome Email from the site  ( can't find it? LOOK In your spam folder ! )

After you register, make sure that you are logged in to the site.
In the Biographies menu, go to the    _-* Add a Biography *-_   menu item

3. Submit your Ranger's Biography
Some fields are required

Please provide as much information, as many photos, as you can find

NOTE: Currently, 10 photos and 1 youtube vid is the default.. IF YOU HAVE MORE, you contact us, we can handle that.

Save your work OFTEN, it's the internet !

4. Wait for the "Published"  OR  the "More Info Requested" email
~~~~~

If you want to volunteer to help manage the site, let us know here.

A huge thank you to Ranger veteran Kent Morrison.  Kent did the heavy lifting of building this site, and he donated the majority of his time to make it happen.  Here's Kent's business site.  Please give him business!

RLTW  Karl

1/75 Memorial Stones - Order Now!

Rangers, Family Members and Friends of Rangers:
The 40th Anniversary of the Reactivation of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, is fast approaching.  Many guests will be arriving for our anniversary events in August (20-23) and we are planning on a new installation of Memorial Stones for the first part of August.  Please get your orders in now.
$150 for Active Duty - $200 for all others.  You may submit your order by email, but mail your check to the address below.
RLTW!

Please mail and make check to:
1st Ranger Battalion Sua Sponte Foundation, Attn: Chuck Fountain
PO Box 60281
Savannah, GA 31420

A P P L I C A T I O N - 1/75 MEMORIAL STONES
　
Name:_______________________________________________ Date:___________________
Address:_____________________________________________________________________
Phone:__________________________________
Amount Enclosed: $____________ $150 (Active Duty Military) - $200 (All Other)
***********PLEASE PRINT AND LEAVE SPACES BETWEEN WORDS************
*NO MORE THAN 16 CHARACTERS PER LINE AND NO MORE THAN 4 LINES
______________________________________________________________________________
EXAMPLE:
SGT JOHN SMITH
B CO, 1st BN, 75th RGR RGT
1992-1994
RLTW!
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

VA Internal Audit Report - Staff at 3/4 of facilities instructed to lie about the data

Breaking news today (heart-breaking).

Veterans Administration internal audit report released today.

• More than 100,000 veterans are waiting more than 90 days for care
• "staff at 76% of facilities surveyed reported that they were instructed to misrepresent appointment data at least once"

MY GOD READ THAT LAST LINE AGAIN.

76% of VA facilities were instructed to LIE about their care for veterans.

...and they did it, willingly.

The VA Access Audit raw data is available here.

UPDATE:  The result of this inept, perhaps criminal neglect is this (video):