Thread by @graemeknows

#OTD in 1944, our nation lost a hero and a family lost a father. But I guarantee you don’t know his story. And yet, his name has echoed around the world. From the sunny fields of New Hampshire to the frigid cold waters of Anzio Bay and back again. A #WWII veterans thread.

This story starts with a family that settled down on a farm in Peterborough, NH in 1923. Leonard Abbott “Spike” Merrill, Jr. attended the local public schools and worked with his father after hours. He was an enterprising young man that once you met him, you never forgot him.

Spike registered for @YMCA @camptakodah in 1929 and was among the first to use the new, expanded crib, dock, and diving tower which became a staple of the Waterfront. He is likely pictured in this photo. Camp was 13 years old. Spike, however, was only 12.

That summer, he got to know another boy, named Robert Henry Slade, who had been coming to Takodah since 1926. Both boys would eventually fight the Axis powers in the Mediterranean. One would die in a storm-tossed sea, the other would die on rocky Italian soil.

In 1934, Spike graduated from Peterborough High, spent a year at @CushingAcademy, and, after graduating with honors, he attended @MIT where he took business and engineering administration courses. In Cambridge, Spike was known for his smooth tunes on the saxophone.

Spike also joined the @ArmyROTC, earning a commission as a reserve 2nd Lieutenant in the @USArmy in 1939. He graduated from @MIT with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering on June 6th. He was excited and confident about his future.

From there, Spike went on to work for insurance companies in Boston, fell in love with a beautiful young secretary named Dorothy Elizabeth Bingham Barr. They got married and started to build a life together. He found that small town life kept him grounded and focused.

But the war was rapidly intensifying and realizing he would probably be called to duty; he and Dorothy chose to start a family. Within a year both happened: Dorothy was six months pregnant when the news of Pearl Harbor shocked everyone. Their world changed in an instant.

The decision, made by the two of them together, led Spike to swear the oath on February 4, 1942, receiving his active duty commission in the @USArmy at #FortDevens, Massachusetts. He was proud to start his service for the country and for the world. He knew freedom had a price.

Soon after, Spike was attached to the 83d Chemical Mortar Battalion, a recently established unit based out of Camp Gordon, Georgia. He and his family arrived in Augusta on June 19, 1942, nine days after battalion activation.

Owing to his age and work experience, Spike was designated as the Battalion Intelligence & Meteorological Officer (S2) on 10 November 1942, an important position on the headquarters staff. Over many long and challenging weeks and months, he trained his men for combat.

Spike came down with a case of pneumonia in January 1943 and spent some time recuperating both in the hospital and at home. Dorothy was well into her second pregnancy and, given his enforced idleness, his thoughts doubtless turned to his upcoming deployment overseas.

On April 18, the battalion was notified of actual movement and departed by rail the next day, arriving at Camp Myles Standish, Taunton, Massachusetts. The reality of imminent overseas deployment would have weighted heavy on the hearts and minds of the men. Spike was no exception.

Spike’s battalion crossed the land and sea making many stops on their way to Italy. Along the way, he was notified by telegram that Dorothy had given birth to their second son. The mixed emotions of joy and heartache would have been overwhelming. He was very far from home.

From here, the war started to take a serious turn for Spike and the men of his mortar company, who he took very good care of. He once traveled 100 miles to get candy and cigarettes in stock for the men as he knew those items would soon be very hard to find. Invasion was imminent.

As the fighting intensified throughout 1943, Spike and the 83rd were shuffled from battle to battle supporting a wide rage of missions and action. In November, he and Dorothy had a chance to exchange letters. It was the last time they would ever communicate.

Spike flew in a cargo plane from Sicily to Italy in December, joining the battalion near Naples to support Operation Shingle, intending to land two divisions at Anzio, north of the Gustav Line, to outflank German defenses and open the road to Rome.

The initial landings early on January 22, 1944, went smoothly, but over the next several days, Allied forces expanded their foothold and met unexpected heavy resistance in the Alban hills above the beachhead.

In response, the rest of the 83rd including Spike embarked in the 328’ @RoyalNavy-crewed tank landing ship LST-422. The convoy of 13 LSTs encountered awful weather on the way, which worsened into a gale as the ships arrived off Anzio at about 0100 in the morning on January 26th.

The storm continued to worsen and at 0450 that morning, LST-422 was pulled by the wind over 400 yards off course where it struck a contact mine. It exploded violently, tearing a 50-foot hole in the starboard side of the hull. A solider on a nearby ship caught the moment on film.

The explosion, which set ammunition, fuel and vehicles aflame, doomed many of the men sleeping on the main deck. Spike, stationed topside with the command staff, sprang into action and helped evacuate men as the ship continued to burn and sink.

As they abandoned ship, Spike, who was possibly suffering from a hidden and likely serious injury, hung on to the anchor cable before falling into the frigid sea. A fellow officer jumped in after him and repeatedly called Spike’s name. He was never seen again.

All told, 150 men were rescued. 454 Americans and 29 British sailors died during the landing. Spike’s body was not recovered.

Several weeks later, Spike’s family was notified he had been lost at sea. The news was absolutely devastating. 77 years later, his son still remembers how Spike’s mother deeply wept. The sound of her wailing has never left them. They are thinking of that moment today.

That morning in January 1944, Spike’s name echoed across the waters of Anzio Bay. It echoed through the minds of the men that served with him and through the hearts of his loving family back home. While we lost the soldier, we will never forget the man. bit.ly/39hqN5F