Mudhole

This is Ken "Mudhole" Merrill. During WWII Ken was one of Carlson's Raiders, an elite commando unit forerunner to today's Navy Seals. He was on the famous "Long Patrol" on Guadalcanal, and is one of the last living members of the submarine-borne raid of Makin Island in August '42. I won't get into details but take my word for it: he was a bad bad man.

Now he's a sweet and engaging 91-year old living in a memorabilia-filled home in Clarkston, WA. We drove over last weekend and spent an amazing hour and a half visiting with Mudhole and his stepdaughter, listening to stories including the one about how Jimmy Roosevelt gave him his famous nickname.

A day we'll always remember. Semper fi and gung ho, Mudhole.