Merle M. "Doug" Werner

WERNER, MERLE M. "Doug" (Age 91)

Died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at his home in Lake Barcroft, VA. He was the last survivor of the group of only 20 reporters and photographers allowed to accompany U.S. troops at the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944. His United Press story, describing that day's combat and carnage, was written from a foxhole on his portable Hermes typewriter and handed to a courier during the battle. It was the first news story to reach U.S. newspapers from Utah Beach. He also covered the liberation of Paris, Berlin's occupation, the Potsdam Conference, Nuremberg War trails, the attempted communist takeover of Greece, and the communist occupation in Prague. A native of Nebraska and graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1934, he had worked on newspapers in the Midwest before becoming a war correspondent for United Press. He was working in Washington at the time of Pearl Harbor. He joined the State Department in 1952 and served as press attache in Stockholm, at the time of Stalin's death when that city was a nest of spies; in Vienna during the Hungarian Revolution; in Manila during the Vietnam War; in Taipei during the Quemoy-Matsu crisis, and in Seoul, Korea during the tension with North Korea over the USS Pueblo incident. In Washington, he worked for the Voice of America and retired in 1982. Survivors include Dorothy, his wife of 53 years; two sons, Michael of Falls Church, VA and Douglas of Fremont, CA; grandson, Peter Nathaniel and daughter-in-law, Dr. Victoria Leiphart of Fremont. Memorial services to be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, June 5 at John Calvin Presbyterian Church, 6531 Columbia Pike (corner Whispering Lane), Falls Church, VA. Family requests donations in lieu of flowers be made to the scholarship fund of DACOR (Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired), 1801 F St., N.W., Washington, DC 20006.