{"id":477,"date":"2010-12-14T01:29:43","date_gmt":"2010-12-13T23:29:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/storiesbeyondthegraves.com\/?page_id=477"},"modified":"2023-03-18T14:52:50","modified_gmt":"2023-03-18T13:52:50","slug":"biography-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.storiesbeyondthegraves.com\/veterans-of-worldwar-2\/howard-e-merryman\/biography-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Biography Howard E. Merryman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Howard Ellsworth Merryman
\nwas born on October 6, 1912, in Steelton, PA.<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

His parents were Howard M. & Florence Merryman.
\nHe was raised in Erie, PA.
\nWhere he got married to
\nGrace G. Wurst on August 19,1934.
\nWith her, he got 1 daughter Barbara, and 2 sons Alan & James.<\/h3>\n

Howard was drafted into the military on April 12, 1944. He received his basic training at Camp Swift, Texas. He was sent overseas on October 12th, 1944. He was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers, 3rd platoon, Company A, 1252nd Combat Battalion. In February 1945 they were attached to General Patton’s 3rd Army.<\/h3>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

PFC Howard E. Merryman was killed in Winseler, Luxembourg on February 20, 1945.
\nHere is a letter his wife Grace got from a buddy, called Pfc. Freeman Lybarger in
\nAugust 1945.<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

Mr. Lybarger\u2019s account:<\/em>
\n\u201cThis patrol already had one man killed and one wounded separately\u00a0<\/em>
\nand were returning to the rear. \u00a0There was one place about three city <\/em>
\nblocks from the town where the road turned sharply on the side of a <\/em>
\nhill that was exposed to the machine gun fire from a pill box across the river.<\/em>
\nAs the men made a fast run across this place, Howard was hit in the leg.<\/em>
\nHe stayed down on the road for about a minute and machine gun<\/em>
\nbullets were tearing up the road like rain. \u00a0He saw that he had no chance<\/em>
\nthere so made a try for the ditch and protection when another<\/em>
\nbullet hit him in the lower part of the spine and ranged upward and<\/em>
\nout in front. \u00a0He died in a matter of a minute or two.\u00a0 There was no pain as the shock had made him numb. That is my knowledge of how his death happened.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

He was first buried at the U.S. Military Cemetery in Foy, Belgium.
\nOn Plot E, Row 8, Grave 188.<\/h3>\n

His\u00a0Final interment was at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium in 1948 at
\nPlot F, Row 14, Grave 9.
\nHe was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
\nHis Grave is adopted by a local school Classes de 3eme et 4eme Primaire, Ecole de Montzen Gare.<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n