Merrill served as a Staff Sergeant on B-24J #42-50603, 858th Bomber Squadron, 492nd Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Worcester County, Massachusetts prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on March 10, 1941, prior to the war, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a nurse and also as Single, without dependents.
Merrill was "Killed In Action" when his B-24 was shot down by friendly fire over Charles, France while flying a "Carpetbagger" night mission to drop supplies to French resistance forces during the war.
Merrill was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred in Europe and was later repatriated here on April 4, 1950.
Service # 31005952
The reason he is named on a group headstone is because when soldier's were killed in close proximity to each other they were unable, at that time, to identify them separately and interred their remains together in one grave.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on this flight:
Bradbury, George F ~ 1st Lt, GA
Brewer, Merrill E ~ S/Sgt, MA
DeVries, Alfons A ~ T/Sgt, MI
Lee, Carl E, Jr ~ 1st Lt, CA
Pirtle, James G ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, OR
Skwara, Ernest C ~ 2nd Lt, OH
The pilot, James M. McLaughlin & possibly other crew members, survived the crash.
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
Special thanks to:
ShaneO for submitting this record for bio updates!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Worcester County, Massachusetts prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on March 10, 1941, prior to the war, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a nurse and also as Single, without dependents.
Merrill was "Killed In Action" when his B-24 was shot down by friendly fire over Charles, France while flying a "Carpetbagger" night mission to drop supplies to French resistance forces during the war.
Merrill was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred in Europe and was later repatriated here on April 4, 1950.
Service # 31005952
The reason he is named on a group headstone is because when soldier's were killed in close proximity to each other they were unable, at that time, to identify them separately and interred their remains together in one grave.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on this flight:
Bradbury, George F ~ 1st Lt, GA
Brewer, Merrill E ~ S/Sgt, MA
DeVries, Alfons A ~ T/Sgt, MI
Lee, Carl E, Jr ~ 1st Lt, CA
Pirtle, James G ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, OR
Skwara, Ernest C ~ 2nd Lt, OH
The pilot, James M. McLaughlin & possibly other crew members, survived the crash.
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
Special thanks to:
ShaneO for submitting this record for bio updates!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merrill served as a Staff Sergeant on B-24J #42-50603, 858th Bomber Squadron, 492nd Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Worcester County, Massachusetts prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on March 10, 1941, prior to the war, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a nurse and also as Single, without dependents.
Merrill was "Killed In Action" when his B-24 was shot down by friendly fire over Charles, France while flying a "Carpetbagger" night mission to drop supplies to French resistance forces during the war.
Merrill was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred in Europe and was later repatriated here on April 4, 1950.
Service # 31005952
The reason he is named on a group headstone is because when soldier's were killed in close proximity to each other they were unable, at that time, to identify them separately and interred their remains together in one grave.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on this flight:
Bradbury, George F ~ 1st Lt, GA
Brewer, Merrill E ~ S/Sgt, MA
DeVries, Alfons A ~ T/Sgt, MI
Lee, Carl E, Jr ~ 1st Lt, CA
Pirtle, James G ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, OR
Skwara, Ernest C ~ 2nd Lt, OH
The pilot, James M. McLaughlin & possibly other crew members, survived the crash.
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
Special thanks to:
ShaneO for submitting this record for bio updates!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Worcester County, Massachusetts prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on March 10, 1941, prior to the war, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a nurse and also as Single, without dependents.
Merrill was "Killed In Action" when his B-24 was shot down by friendly fire over Charles, France while flying a "Carpetbagger" night mission to drop supplies to French resistance forces during the war.
Merrill was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred in Europe and was later repatriated here on April 4, 1950.
Service # 31005952
The reason he is named on a group headstone is because when soldier's were killed in close proximity to each other they were unable, at that time, to identify them separately and interred their remains together in one grave.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on this flight:
Bradbury, George F ~ 1st Lt, GA
Brewer, Merrill E ~ S/Sgt, MA
DeVries, Alfons A ~ T/Sgt, MI
Lee, Carl E, Jr ~ 1st Lt, CA
Pirtle, James G ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, OR
Skwara, Ernest C ~ 2nd Lt, OH
The pilot, James M. McLaughlin & possibly other crew members, survived the crash.
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
Special thanks to:
ShaneO for submitting this record for bio updates!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inscription
SSGT, US ARMY AIR FORCES WORLD WAR II
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
