![\"Vincent](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Vincent-Melillo-300x252.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nThe Columbus, GA Ledger-Enquirer<\/a> reports that among this year’s 16 inductees into the Ranger Hall of Fame is retired 94 year-old Master Sergeant Vincent Melillo, an original member of the famed Merrill’s Marauders. Their actual designation was the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) or Unit Galahad. <\/p>\n They began as 3,000-man force in India where they began their training in October 1943. In February, 1944 they marched 1000 miles from India, over the Himalayas into Burma and behind Japanese lines with their 700 pack animals. By the time they finished operations in August, 1944, they had only 130 men left who could be considered combat effective, only two of those had not been wounded or ill.<\/p>\n In August 1944, the 5307th became the 475th Infantry and ten years later, the 75th Infantry, and therefore the predecessors of today’s 75th Ranger Regiment. According to the Ledger-Enquirer article, MSG Melillo was awarded his Ranger tab earlier this year<\/a>, I guess he earned it. <\/p>\n MSG Melillo retired from the Army in 1965. There are only 18 surviving members of the Marauders.<\/p>\n Other Rangers inducted this year;<\/p>\n Gen. Peter Schoomaker; retired Lt. Gen. Gary Speer; retired Lt. Cols. James Dabney and Frederick Spaulding; retired Maj. Carleton Vencill; retired Command Sgt. Majs. Andrew McFowler, Doug Greenway, Bill Smith, Charles Williams, Robert Gilbert and Joe Mattison; retired Sgt. Majs. Matthew Berrena and Pat Hurley; and retired Master Sgts. Howard Mullen and Thomas Bragg.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"