"They're in a class all by themselves when it comes to to the things they endured," said Christopher Goodrow about the Marauders.
The Marauders join more than 160 war heroes, military units and civilians awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for outstanding achievements dating back to the American Revolution. A single medal honoring the Marauders as a unit will be crafted and given to the Smithsonian Institution.
The medals are designed for each set of winners and came take more than a year before they're ready to be presented.
Time isn't on the Marauders' side.
Twenty of the unit's members who were living when they began petitioning Congress for the medal in 2016 have since died, said Jonnie Melillo Clasen. Her father, Vincent Melillo, died in 2015.
Dozens of the Marauders were awarded individual decorations after the war from the Distinguished Service Cross to the Silver Star. The Army awarded the Bronze Star to every soldier in the unit, and Hollywood paid its respects in 1962 with the movie "Merrill's Marauders."
--GreGen
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