Kenneth Merritt

Kenneth "Rock" Merritt is known for his service with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, especially during World War II.

Before enlisting in the military, Merritt served in the Civilian Conservation Corps at the age of seventeen to help support his family.

Military career

After his involvement in the CCC, he wanted to join the Marine Corps. When he was in the recruitment office waiting to talk to the recruitment sergeant, he was inspired by a poster depicting a soldier with a machine gun descending to the ground strapped into a parachute. Under the image was the words "Are you man enough to fill these boots?" Merritt then decided he wanted to become a paratrooper. He enlisted in the Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma on October 15, 1942, when he was 19 years old. during fighting at Hill 131 near La Cuiroterie, France on July 3, 1944. Although Merritt was never assigned to George Lamm's unit, he was attached to the company from Normandy through the Battle of the Bulge.

In 2016, Merritt was the Grand Marshall for the annual Fayetteville Veterans Day Parade.

Personal life He lived in Fayetteville, North Carolina. North Carolina's Order of the Long Leaf Pine Doughboy Award