Chuck Haga: An endless war that produced a new North Dakota family
A few months later helping Americans in Iraq, Mrs. M arrived in Fargo, welcomed at the airport by many of those same soldiers.
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Chuck Haga | ×
Chuck Haga is a columnist for the Grand Forks Herald. (Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald)
Many years from now, when historians assess our long involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and the rest of the Middle East, judgment is likely to be harsh. Motives, policies and practices will be examined, questioned, and perhaps condemned.
But a fair assessment also will take account of generous, unselfish and even noble actions, especially by individual troops and units who may have wondered about the overall mission but truly believed they were over there to do good.
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On March 18, 1944, men and animals from the 2nd Battalion cross the Tanai River on a bamboo bridge built by Kachin tribesmen, working with the Office of Strategic Services, near the village of Ning Awng. (Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo) DOD
Merrill’s Marauders officially Galahad Force or the 5307th Composite Unit (Provi- sional) existed for just one year, from September 1943 to August 1944. In that time, the unit and its men performed some of the most arduous missions asked of an infantry unit in World War II. Their accomplishments left a strong legacy that is visible in the Army of today, most notably as the foundation for the ethos of the 75th Ranger Regiment.Nicknamed “Merrill’s Marauders,” themission was to capture an airport. Some 800 miles through jungle and mountainous terrain and five major battles later, #Merrill‘sMaurauders captured the airport in May 1944 and the city of Myitkyina in August. Christopher L. Kolakowski Army.mil
But life wasn t always waking up to smell the flowers for this World War II vet.
Hill, born on April 20, 1921 in Dalzell, South Carolina, was one of 14 children on the family s 50-acre farm where he learned the value of hard work while tending to the animals, chopping cotton, and gathering crops. There wasn t much to do but it was a nice life growing up on the farm, recounted Hill.
Hill left school in the 10th grade to return to working on the farm so his oldest brother could graduate high school and go to college. I didn t think much of it, back then we had to pay to go to high school and college, we didn t have free high school and then you know I grew up on a farm with a big family and we didn t have enough money to send everyone to school at the same time, said Hill.