The American Legion Post in Dunbarton today handed over to state officials many uniforms that General Frank Merrill wore during World War II.
During the war, Merrill led a unit known as “Merrill’s Marauders†for its role in harassing Japanese troops in the jungles of Burma.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman has more.
General Frank Merrill's uniform on display at the State House. (David Darman, NHPR)
General Frank Merrill’s uniforms have always had a good home.
His wife held on to them after the war hero died at age 52 in 1955.
And for many years, they were in the care of Lucy Merrill’s good friend, Penelope Gardner.
Gardner’s son Chris gained possession of them after his mother died a few years ago.
He had never really known what to do with them until he moved to Dunbarton.
There, he rented an apartment from Gary MacCubbin.
MacCubbin commands the American Legion post in town.
It’s a fluke that one day he says, oh, I got these uniforms, can you take care of them for me? I mean that’s how it all started.
MacCubbin says he started to feel around for a place to put the uniforms.
And actually, I didn’t know. I started calling around I was talking to ted gatsas. I said, ted, who do I talk to…this that. And eventually, Steve, who’s got a lot of contacts, Steve Kennedy, we got some people with some interest there and Van, you know, everything started rolling after that.
That’s Van McLeod, who heads New Hampshire’s Department of Cultural Resources where the uniforms will now stay.
Merrill had been born in New England, and was New Hampshire’s Highway Commissioner after the war.
Two of the men who had served under the General came up for the uniform handover.
One of them, Robert Passanisi, came up from Long Island, but lived in Brooklyn before the war.
He said he remembered one battle where troops had marched all night, and ended up at a Japanese army encampment.
Passanisi said the General was very clear that he to take the enemy by surprise.
The orders the night before was …at the penalty of death no one was to shoot. Eh, eh, if you came across an enemy, you had to use a knife…so, a trench knife. So there was no sound whatsoever.
Passanisi says the tactic worked perfectly.
It must have taken them 40-45 minutes before they knew they were under attack.
The Marauder unit’s success was all the more amazing given that the men had too little to eat, and were stricken with malaria, and other diseases.
The Department of Cultural Resources is planning to eventually put the uniforms on display.
