Tag Archives: 82nd Airborne

On March 10, 2021, we all lost a legend. Rock Merritt was a World War II Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne. Rock was one of my heroes and was also my first oral history interview. Paratrooper Rock Merritt, 1944 Rock Merritt was an inaugural member of the All American Hall of Fame for the 82nd Airborne. To put that into …

Read More »

The details for the upcoming 2018 Reunion for the Family and Friends of the 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment were recently released. The annual reunion that honors the legacy of the Veterans for the 82nd Airborne is in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The dates for the reunion are October 31, 2018, to November 4, 2018. This year’s reunion marks the 50th …

Read More »

August 10, 2018, is the 95th birthday for Kenneth “Rock” Merritt. Rock Merritt is a true hero having jumped into Normandy, France on D-Day as a member of the 82nd Airborne. One of my first oral history interviews was with Rock at a picnic table in La Fiere during the 70th Anniversary for the D-Day landings. To this day, Rock …

Read More »