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Contact Info
Home Town Marlborough
Last Address Alexandria, VA
Date of Passing Jul 18, 1998
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Merle Landry Carey, 81, a retired Army colonel and Washington stockbroker, died of respiratory failure July 18, 1998 at Inova Alexandria Hospital, Alexandria, Virginia.
He retired from military service in 1963 after having served in the office of the Army's chief of research and development. His Army career included service as an artillery officer in Europe during World War II, occupation duty in Germany after the war, command of a tank battalion during the Korean War, a short tour in Vietnam in 1962, and an assignment as professor of military history at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He attended the Command and General Staff College. His awards included a Silver Star and three Bronze Stars, and the Order of the Phoenix (Greece).
Colonel Carey was a resident of Alexandria, and he had lived in the Washington area since 1961. He was born in Marlboro, Massachusetts, and graduated from Boston College and the U.S. Military Academy in 1943.
After his Army retirement, he was a stockbroker with the firms of Alex Brown, Kidder, Peabody and PaineWebber. He retired in 1992. His wife, Sarah R. Carey, died in April. A son, Jonathan S. Carey, died in December 1996.
Survivors include a son, Charles R. Carey of Potomac; two brothers; two sisters; and three grandchildren.
Other Comments:
SILVER STAR
Headquarters, 3d Infantry Division, General Orders No. 5 (1946)
CITATION:: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain (Armor) Merle Landry Carey, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in connection with military operations against the enemy as Commanding Officer of a Company of the 12th Armored Division during World War II. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.
The 12th Armored Division landed at Liverpool, England, 2 October 1944. It arrived at Le Havre, France, 11 November 1944. Advance elements met the enemy near Weisslingen, 5 December, and the entire Division moved against the Maginot Line fortifications 2 days later. In its advance, Rohrbach and the Bettviller area were liberated by 12 December, and Utweiler, Germany, was seized 21 December. After a short period of rehabilitation and maintenance, the 12th rolled against the Rhine riverhead at Herlisheim. German defenders repulsed Division attacks in the most violent fighting in the history of the 12th, 9 to 10 January 1945. However, enemy counterattacks failed also. Going over to the offensive, the Division attacked south from Colmar, and in a lightning drive, effected junction with French forces at Rouffach, 5 February, sealing the Colmar pocket and ending German resistance in the Vosges Mountains. Except for elements acting as a protective screen, the Division withdrew to the St. Avoid area for rest and rehabilitation. The attack resumed, 18 March 1945. In a quick drive to the Rhine, Ludwigshafen fell, 21 March, and two other important river cities, Speyer and Germersheim, were secured on the 24th, clearing the Saar Palatinate. Maintaining the rapid pace, the 12th crossed the Rhine River at Worms, 28 March, advanced toward Wurzburg against light resistance, and captured that city. After assisting in the seizure of Schweinfurt, the Division continued toward Nurnberg, 13 April, taking Neustadt, then shifted toward Munich, 17 April. Elements of the 12th raced from Dinkelsbuhl to the Danube, taking the bridge at Dillingen before demolition men could wreck it. This bridge provided a vital artery for Allied troops flooding into southern Germany. The Division spearheaded the Seventh Army drive, securing Landsberg, 29 April, clearing the area between the Ammer and Wurm Seas on the 30th, and moving deeper into the "National Redoubt." Elements crossed .the Inn River and the Austrian border, 3 May. The 12th was relieved by the 36th Infantry Division, 4 May, and engaged in security duty until 22 November 1945, when it left Marseille, France, for home.
