Bertie County NcArchives Military Records.....Lassiter, Earl 
WWII 
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Gerald Thomas gerald_thomas00@comcast.net November 28, 2017, 10:24 am

Merrill's Marauders
EARL LASSITER:
VOLUNTEER MEMBER OF 
MERRILL’S MARAUDERS,1944
by Gerald W. Thomas

Earl Lassiter, the son of Percy Lassiter and Edna Earl Odon, was born November
7, 1921, in western Bertie County. Earl enlisted as a private in the army at
Richmond, Virginia on August 23, 1941, at age 19. At the time he enlisted he was
a resident of Aulander. Private Lassiter was assigned to the infantry. In August
1943, Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Great
Britain) and other allied leaders decided that an American penetration force was
needed in Burma to operate behind Japanese lines to destroy supply lines and
communications, and generally wreak havoc with enemy forces. The force would
operate as allied troops simultaneously attempted to reopened the desperately
needed Burma Road. Roosevelt issued a call for volunteers for the highly
dangerous and hazardous mission. Approximately 3,000 American soldiers responded
from units stationed stateside and in the Pacific Theater. One of the volunteers
was Earl Lassiter.
	The subsequently formed unit was officially designated at the 5307th Composite
Unit (Provisional). The unit was officially formed in January 1944 and placed
under the command of Brig. Gen. Frank D. Merrill. The unit, in essence a special
forces outfit, became most commonly known as Merrill’s Marauders. Earl Lassiter,
who had achieved the rank of Technician Fifth Grade (also known as corporal),
was assigned to Company F. The Marauders were formed into six combat teams and
trained in great secrecy in the jungles of central India. After preliminary
training the Marauders marched more than 1,000 miles from India over the
Himalayan Mountains into Burma. Much of the trek was through dense, almost
impenetrable jungles.
	Merrill’s Marauders participated in five major engagements and thirty minor
actions against veteran Japanese troops. Vastly outnumbered, the Marauders moved
to the rear of Japanese forces and disrupted enemy supply and communication
operations. On May 17, 1944, the Marauders captured Myitkyina Airfield, the only
all-weather facility in northern Burma. The capture culminated four months of
marching and uninterrupted combat in the Burmese jungles. The Marauders carried
all of their equipment and supplies on their backs or on pack mules. They were
resupplied by air drops, often having to clear thick brush to receive supplies.
The troops suffered from exhaustion and malnutrition, A substantial number of
the men contracted tropical diseases. Earl Lassiter may have been one of those
individuals – he died June 7, 1944, of a non-battle cause. For their
accomplishments, Merrill’s Marauders were awarded the Distinguished Unit
Citation in July 1944. Every member of the unit received the Bronze Star – a
combat medal for heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or
meritorious service in a combat zone.


This record indicates that Lassiter was a private at the time of his death,
whereas, special orders dated January 5, 1944, indicate that he was a technician
fifth grade (corporal equivalent). Statement of Service World War II for Pvt.
Earl Lassiter, North Carolina Discharge and Statement of Service Records,
1940-48, film 007252204, image 925, www.familysearch.org.


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