Merritt Rock - WWII Veteran Interview (First) 

WWII Veteran Kenneth Rock Merritt was interviewed in La Fiere, Normandy, France on June 5, 2014. This is the very first interview by the ‪@MakingHistoryProject‬, and it took place the day before Rock was honored by President Obama at the 70th D-Day Ceremony at Omaha Beach. SGT Rock Merritt is an American Paratrooper from the 508 P.I.R. of the 82nd Airborne who jumped into Normandy during WWII for the D-Day invasion. Rock commanded a heavy machine gun squad during WWII and also jumped for Operation Market Garden. Rock became the honorary Command Sergeant Major for the 82nd Airborne and is a member of the 82nd Airborne Hall of Fame. ‪@MakingHistoryProject‬
Summary:
Rock Merritt, a WWII veteran, volunteered for service and earned the nickname "Rock" during his time in the CCC camp for his fighting spirit.
He served in the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment as a squad leader and Corporal during the Normandy campaign.
Merritt participated in the D-Day invasion, jumping in with his regiment via C-47 planes despite heavy anti-aircraft fire and adverse weather conditions.
His unit missed their drop zone, landing in flooded fields where many soldiers drowned; Merritt narrowly escaped a crashing C-47.
Despite heavy losses and intense combat, including holding crucial positions like Hill 30, Merritt reflects on the horrors of war, agreeing that "war is hell," especially recalling the loss of comrades and ongoing nightmares as post-war challenges.