By Kristin Ellis
(CHIEVRES, Belgium) - On the morning of Dec. 18, 1944, 21-year-old Cpl. Kenneth "Rock" Merritt and his fellow paratroopers loaded into an open truck for a long cold ride to the Belgium countryside.
They were en route to the Ardennes with the mission to provide a corridor to safety for the severely injured and desperate survivors of the overrun infantry divisions of the Battle of the Bulge.
U.S. service members and the town of Vielsalm, Belgium thanked Merritt, now 93, during a ceremony Aug. 27 at the Rencheux memorial honoring the courage and sacrifice of the 82nd Airborne Division in battle.
The honor guard, all members of USAG-Benelux's Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program, paid tribute to the history and heritage of the 82nd's hard fought WWII campaigns and battles.
"We owe it to the generation who came before us," said Sgt. Pamela Hill, BOSS president. "We owe them our support for going before us and doing what they did. They paved the way for where we are now."
Local residents and leaders welcomed Merritt like a hero for his role in campaigns that helped liberate Belgium and change the course of history. Merritt told the crowd that at 19-years-old he knew he would be drafted.
"The Army will send us wherever they want," he said. "I'm going to beat them to it and volunteer, so I can pick what I do."
Merritt went into a recruiting station wanting to sign with the Marines because he liked their uniforms, but changed his mind when he saw a recruitment poster asking if you were "man enough to become a paratrooper."
The 127-lb Oklahoma native knew he had an uphill battle toward becoming an elite jumper, who often carry more than 90-lbs of gear. Merritt enlisted anyway and served with the 82nd Airborne Division and two stints as the XVIII Airborne Corps sergeant major.
In total, Merritt served for 35 years. Of those 35 years, he spent 31 on jump status.
Merritt also toured other areas of the Ardennes where American service members are memorialized as part of the greatest generation.
This was not the first time Merritt returned to Europe. He, along with Pres. Barack Obama and other world leaders and veterans paid tribute on the 70th anniversary of the WWII D-Day landings to Soldiers who died in the liberation of Europe from Nazi German rule.
Participating in events like this is important for a service member serving overseas, Hill said.
"First and foremost, it is about giving back to the community we live in," she said. "But it's also about building that comradery and teamwork. Sometimes all we have is each other here."
For details on how to get involved in the local community through the BOSS program, contact Sgt. Pamela Hill at DSN: 361-6820.
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