Follow Up
Steve continued, “What are the odds of bumping into that man after all these years? I’m sure he never thought about some of those stories for decades. It was a chance meeting I’ll never forget.” It sure grabbed my heart strings. The older I get, the more I love hearing about the bonds of man and beast, be it dog, mule, horse, or cat.
When I got home from range duty, I looked up Merrill’s Marauders, reading everything about them I could. They were indeed a very special group of soldiers. The obstacles, illnesses and problems they faced and conquered, while pursuing their enemy, is commendable. Practically every man had dysentery, many had typhus, but they trudged on.
A well-trained outfit, the Marauders were known for winning battles while being highly outnumbered, with their skill, tactics and accurate shooting. Traveling over 700 miles consisting of muddy trails, mountains and jungle rivers, with their heavily laden pack mules from Missouri, Texas and Tennessee, Merrill’s fighting Marauders may not have successfully captured the strategic Japanese airfield at Myitkyina for General Stillwell’s forces without the contribution of these wonderful mules.
Out of the original 2,997 men who started, only 200 men survived, with only 130 men listed as combat effective, after the taking of Myitkyina.
Merrill’s Marauders is an amazing story about some of the toughest American soldiers ever. There’s a great movie on Amazon Prime you can rent, as well as several good books about Merrill’s Marauders.
One thing is certain, if you enjoy reading about tough, brave men loving mules, Merrill’s Marauders is a great story, as well as being an important part of history to know about. An overused cliché, but a fitting one, Merrill’s Marauders were indeed part of the greatest generation.
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