Posted: Sunday, April 8, 2007 12:00 am
ALBANY - "Tales from World War II You Probably Never Heard Before," by Zed Merrill, will be the theme for this month's presentation by the Friends of the Albany Public Library.
The presentation is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at the main branch of the library, 1390 Waverly Drive S.E. The time is a change from the usual monthly presentations.
Merrill, 80, who grew up in Albany and moved to Portland in the 1950s, served as a signalman attached to a Navy gun crew aboard the Liberty Ship S.S. Edwin Markham before spending 56 years in the advertising field.
He wrote "Tales" as a result of the research he did for several video documentaries on the war. The documentaries focus on little-known World War II military units and events.
One of his documentaries, "Forgotten Valor," was cited as being a major force in the Navy's Armed Guard finally receiving recognition and being entered into the U.S. Congressional Record for heroic service.
Merrill's films have appeared on public television. He has been a guest on radio talk shows and was considered for an Academy Award in 2005.
"Tales" is a collection of short war stories from both recorded events and the memories of people who served. They include stories of a ship vanishing into thin air, the strange flight of a B-17 that occurred because of a $5 bet, the soldier who fought for the Allies yet was awarded one of Germany's highest medals, and the little-known U.S. Navy unit that had 710 ships sunk beneath its crews.