"800 BRONZE STARS"- MERRILL'S MARAUDERS'; FORERUNNERS OF TODAY'S ARMY RANGERS

Description

CACHED COVER (FRONT & BACK).
HONORING MERRILL'S MARAUDERS AND THEIR LEADER, FRANK MERRILL OF WORLD WAR II FAME.
EVERY MEMBER OF THIS ALL VOLUNTEER UNIT WAS AWARDED THE
BRONZE STAR FOR VALOR.
THESE HEROES WERE THE FORE-RUNNERS OF TODAY'S U. S. ARMY RANGERS.
THE MARAUDERS HAD NO TANKS OR ARTILLERY SUPPORT,
TROD OVER 1,000 MILES
THROUGH EXTREMELY DENSE AND ALMOST IMPENETRABLE JUNGLES AND CAME OUT WITH GLORY. NO OTHER AMERICAN FORCE, EXCEPT THE 1ST MARINE DIVISION, WHICH TOOK AND HELD GUADALCANAL FOR FOUR MONTHS, HAS HAD AS MUCH JUNGLE FIGHTING SERVICE AS THESE MARAUDERS.
BUT NO OTHER AMERICAN FORCE ANYWHERE HAD MARCHED AS FAR, FOUGHT AS CONTINUOUSLY OR HAD TO DISPLAY SUCH ENDURANCE, AS THE SWIFT-MOVING, HARD-HITTING FOOT SOLDIERS OF MERRILL'S MARAUDERS. IN FIVE (5) MAJOR AND THIRTY (30) MINOR ENGAGEMENTS, THEY DEFEATED THE VETERAN SOLDIERS OF THE JAPANESE 18TH DIVISION (CONQUERORS OF SINGAPORE AND MALASYA) WHO VASTLY OUTNUMBERED THE MARAUDERS. THEY CLIMAXED THEIR BEHIND THE LINES OPERATIONS WITH THE CAPTURE OF MYITKYINA AIRFIELD, THE ONLY ALL-WEATHER AIRFIELD IN NORTHERN BURMA.
FRONT CACHET PICTURES BRIG. GEN. FRANK MERRILL, THEIR "5307TH COMPOSITE UNIT" PATCH, FOUR OF MERRILL'S PERSONAL MEDALS, THE U. S. ARMY FLAG, TENNESSEE FLAG, AND THE ARMY RANGER INSIGNIA,
ALL WITH PERTINENT TEXT.  FRANKED WITH THE
PURPLE HEART" STAMP
AND
CANCELED, "DEC. 31, 2018, OUANTICO, VA"
.
REVERSE CACHET IS A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MARAUDER'S ACCO
MPLISHMENTS.
COVER IS UNADDRESSED AND 'POLY SLEEVE' ENCLOSED.
NICE, NEW, ATTRACTIVE INEXPENSIVE
SOUVENIR FOR THE MILITARY HISTORIAN.
USCS MEMBER # 11835, COVER # 5 OF 10.
"TOP SARGE" CACHET.