By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Friends of the Worcester County Veterans Memorial at Ocean Pines and community residents are raising funds to recognize George Kerchner, a decorated World War II hero and longtime Ocean Pines citizen, as well as garner financial support for the park’s education efforts.

Residents and memorial advocates are collecting donations for a paver to be placed at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial at Ocean Pines honoring Kerchner. The war hero moved to the area in 1970.

According to Ocean Pines resident and former board of directors member Marty Clarke, the veteran was a founder of the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department and active within the Ocean City American Legion, Post 166.

Clarke said the idea for the paver came after he read a book about D-Day last summer and saw Kerchner’s name mentioned in connection with Ocean City, Marland.

“I had never heard of him,” Clarke said. “He was in our local American Legion and lived in Ocean Pines, but there is nothing in the memorial, which I think is one of the most beautiful amenities built in recent history in Worcester County. There is not a peep about George. That began the efforts to raise money for the paver.”

A press release from the Ocean Pines Association said that Kerchner is “best known for his heroic actions on D-Day, June 6, 1944.”

Kerchner enlisted in the United States Army in 1942, according to the association. He eventually joined the elite 2nd Ranger Battalion as a lieutenant.

The release adds that the veteran trained in England for six months, scaling seaside cliffs in preparation for a “daring” raid on Pointe du Hoc, a fortified German position “towering above the English Channel.”

“The mission, led by Lt. Col. James E. Rudder, was considered nearly impossible,” the press release reads. “… Yet on the morning of June 6, 1944, Kerchner and his fellow Rangers defied the odds.”

Under relentless German machine gun fire on the rocky beach, Kerchner assumed command of Company D after all the senior officers were killed or seriously injured. His team scaled the 100-foot cliffs only to discover that the 155mm guns they were meant to destroy had been relocated.

Kerchner and his men tracked down and disabled the guns, and then held their position against German counterattacks for nearly three days until reinforcements arrived.

Around 100 of the 225 Rangers to storm the Pointe du Hoc that day survived. Later, Kerchner was wounded near Saint-Lô. However, he survived the war and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions.

His story was immortalized in the 1962 Hollywood film, “The Longest Day,” the association reports.

“Despite his bravery, Kerchner downplayed his role, telling a TV interviewer at 92, ‘I didn’t think I did anything that heroic,’” the news release reads.

The Friends of the Worcester County Veterans Memorial are asking community members to donate funds for a commemorative paver in Kerchner’s name. Contributions may be sent to Worcester County Veterans Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 1576, Berlin, MD 21811.

Clarke added that they are also seeking money for the memorial site’s education program.

“We are hoping to raise more than the cost of the paver, like for the education programs they are doing at the memorial,” he said. “That is money that is above and beyond the paver.”

Every year, the Veterans Memorial Foundation invites every Worcester County fifth-grade class on a field trip to the Ocean Pines memorial site. During the visit, the students participate in a tour and a three-part informational program featuring different aspects of the remembrance area.

“Its purpose is to create and foster an awareness and appreciation for veterans and the tremendous sacrifices they have made to protect and preserve the freedoms we enjoy in the United States of America,” the memorial’s website reads.

“We want to honor George and at the same time raise some money for the memorial,” Clarke said. He added that they will be seeking donations for their efforts indefinitely.

A dedication ceremony for Kerchner’s paver will be held at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial at Ocean Pines on Friday, June 6, at 11 a.m. The public is welcome to attend, and Clarke hopes that family members of the war hero will be present.