Gino J. Merli
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Gino J. Merli (May 13, 1924–June 11, 2002) was an American soldier, and recipient of the Medal of Honor during World War II.
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Merli was the son of a coal miner. He entered service in the United States Army from Peckville and served with the 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. With his division, he went ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in December of the same year.
On the evening of September 4, 1944, near Sars la Bruyere, Belgium, his company was attacked by a superior German force. Their position was overwhelmed, but PFC Merli stayed with his machine gun covering their retreat. When his position was overrun, he feigned death while German soldiers prodded him with their bayonets, only to rise and confront the enemy when they withdrew. Twice he fooled German soldiers into believing he was no longer a threat, only to attack them again when they left him for dead. In the morning, a counterattack forced the Germans to ask for a truce. The negotiating party found Merli still at his gun.
For his heroism, PFC Gino Merli received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Truman on June 15, 1945. In addition, he received two Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star, the Battle of the Bulge Medal, and the Humanitarian Award of the Chapel of Four Chaplains for his actions during World War II.
In civilian life, Merli took it upon himself to serve fellow veterans. He was an adjudication officer for the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Plains Township, Pennsylvania. He traveled to the Normandy beaches in 1984 in the company of Tom Brokaw and was a source of inspiration for Brokaw's book The Greatest Generation.
The Veterans' Center in Scranton was named for Gino Merli in 2002. Merli-Sarnoski State Park, located in Fell Township (just outside of Carbondale), Pennsylvania, is co-named for Mr. Merli and Joseph Sarnoski, another WWII Medal of Honor recipient and Lackawanna County resident. Gino Merli Drive (one of the main roads) in Peckville, Pennsylvania is also named for him.
