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Humble Merle Blaine

Name:
Merle Blaine Humble
Rank:
Technician 5th Grade
Serial Number:
Unit:
478th Amphibious Truck Company
Date of Death:
1944-04-28
State:
Pennsylvania
Cemetery:
Circle Hill Cemetery, Punxsutawney, Pennsylva
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Purple Heart
Comments:

Merle Blaine Humble was born in 1918 in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Irvin L. Humble and Minnie Helen Stahlman Humble. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a Technician Fifth Grade in the 478th Amphibious Truck Company. He was killed during the Exercise Tiger--one of the large-scale rehearsals for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. This took place in April 1944 in Slapton Sands, Devon in the UK. An Allied naval convoy involved in the exercise was attacked by German submarines, and coordination and communication problems resulted in friendly fire deaths. At least 749 American servicemen were killed. Because of the impending invasion of Normandy, the incident was highly classified and the full story did not come out until years later after the war. He is now buried in Circle Hill Cemetery, Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, USA.