PFC Mervel E. McCormick

courtesy of WFDB

PFC Mervel E. McCormick was born 16 Jun 1923 in Winchester, Virginia. He was the 5th of 10 children born to Albert Henry and Elsie Viola (Weaver) McCormick. His father worked as a plumber and later for the Winchester city street maintenace department. The family had lost 2 of their sons, one in 1924 and another as an infant in 1931. By 1940, Mervel was working with is father on the city street crew. The household, with 5 members working, reported a 1939 income of $2740.

Mervel joined the local National Guard unit in 1939. He was with that unit when it was federalize in 1941 and trained with I Company 116th Infantry at Camp Meade, Maryland and Camp Blanding, Florida before going to England in September 1942. Mervel trained in England with his unit for the planned amphibious assault that would be part of the invasion of occupied Europe. PFC McCormick was with the unit for that operation on 6 Jun 1944. He continued to fight with the unit until wounded on 19 Jun 1944 and evacuated to hospital. PFC McCormick died of his wound(s) on 20 Jun 1944.

PFC McCormick was repatriated and re-interred in Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia.

Brother, Albert Henry McCormick Jr., served in the U.S. Army 1939-1945. Grandfather, Charles Washington Weaver, served D Company 9th Virginia Infantry and in I Company 25th Virginia Infantry (CSA) during the Civil War.