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<p>May 31, 1949 was a very special day for Earle and Mary Frances Merkl, as they welcomed their son <em>Lawrence Cooper “Larry” “Merk” Merkl</em> in Richmond VA. Later, joined by two brothers, Doug and Rob, the career Army family traveled the world. West Point ultimately became the family business, with both brothers, two nephews and a niece joining Larry in the Long Gray Line. </p>
<p>Larry always claimed he hated West Point. He often reminded some of us of Edgar Allan Poe, who characterized West Point as a “Godforsaken place.” Larry often claimed that he too hated the “Godforsaken place.” And yet he loved his classmates. He especially loved the C-4 guys. He loved the upperclassmen, having many close friends from ’70. He thrived on academics. He loved the Saturday football games and all the athletics. Heck, he even loved the TACs. He played racquetball with Major Don Wells regularly during firstie year. Often, when these facts were pointed out to him during many après golf sessions on the deck over drinks and cigars in his later years, Larry could be heard to mutter under his breath, “Don’t cloud the discussion with facts.” In times of deep reflection, often Merk would admit that his life and experiences were good, and that they all really did trace back to his having attended West Point. </p>
<p>Larry had the academics thing pretty much figured out. While the rest of us struggled with Colonel Nick’s “Green Death” and draconian profs like “1.0-3.0 Gongola,” Merk spent his time playing musical chairs with the handful of geniuses in every course’s first section geekfest. When the dust finally settled, he had graduated 12th in the class. </p>
<p>Larry loved sports, and tales of his athletic exploits are legendary in C-4. While never really thought of as a tough guy, he achieved lasting C-4 fame with the “sweet science.” As a plebe, he had been given the distinct honor of representing C-4 on its intramural boxing team. He went into the final match with a record of 0-6, and things didn’t look good. After two rounds, word had it that he was behind on the scorecards. But when Merk answered the bell for the third round, the referee raised his hand as the victor! His opponent had broken his wrist! The gym erupted! Larry loved sharing that story. Over the years, he often said that he realized that the best way to hurt his opponents was to lead with his head! But there were also many thrills of victory. Larry relished playing in the Goat-Engineer Game, and he was a shining star on the undefeated, Brigade Champion C-4 squash team. </p>
<p>Larry’s respect for the decorum of West Point’s Fourth Class System was compatible with Eddie Poe. Once, he decided to replace the photos of his room’s absence card with cartoon characters. He became Wylie Coyote, one roomie became Road Runner, and the football player roomie became, of course, Magilla Gorilla. One day, the squad leader and his assistant came bursting into the room full of righteous rage. He tore into Merk and the boys with vein-popping fury. “Why, why, what do you think would happen if Major Walters saw that, you idiots?” Considering that everyone in the room, including the assistant SL who had stepped into the background, was doing all they could to stifle laughter, the major would probably have laughed too. </p>
<p>Given his academic success, Larry, of course, chose Engineers and then went on to graduate school at MIT. Along the way, he made a couple of diversions to Airborne School, Ranger School and the 75th Engineer Battalion at Fort Meade, MD. He ultimately found that the Army was not for him and left to try his hand in real estate and construction in Maryland and later in Colorado. Some of his most memorable stories revolved around working in real estate with his father, Earle.</p>
<p>Merk eventually found his niche with civil engineering in the Maryland National Guard. He quickly became a respected manager, deploying to Qatar to complete the construction of an Air Operations Center, providing leadership and a talent for getting people to collaborate. Later, as a reservist at Andrews AFB, Larry worked for the USAF Office of Special Investigations and was a key manager in the construction of their new headquarters at Quantico. As usual, he quickly earned the respect of senior management and his peers. </p>
<p>Larry took a sincere interest in helping colleagues and junior officers. One coworker had made a potentially career-ending mistake, but Larry repeatedly pointed out how talented he was to senior management, and the guy recovered. “Can’t say enough good things about Colonel Merkl,” he said. Another officer was devastated after being downsized out of the service. Larry told him how to take advantage of opportunities in the Reserve, for which the young officer was grateful.</p>
<p>Larry is survived by six children: Jessica, Adam, and Lauren of Seattle, WA, from his marriage to Roberta; Kelly and Kristen of Charlotte, NC, from his marriage to Colleen; plus a stepson, Burke Wadsworth of Houston. In 2004, Larry married Cindy Burkert after a whirlwind romance and eventually retired in Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>Merk was the best kind of friend. When you were around him, your jokes seemed funnier and your goofy stories seemed somehow richer, almost even meaningful, no matter how many times you told them. He was fun to be around. The tribal elders will tell stories of the greatness and warmth of Larry Merkl around C-4 campfires for many, many winters.</p>
<p><em>— Jake, Egg, Cindy, and the guys of Charlie-4</em></p>
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