Dennis Paul Merck

News Obituary Article

Georgian killed at Iraqi base

Sergeant may have been cleaning weapon, wife told

By ANNA VARELA

When Staff Sgt. Dennis Paul Merck moved into a new home with his family this summer, there was one improvement that couldn't wait.

"The first thing he said was, 'I want a huge flagpole for the front yard,' " said his wife, Tanya Merck. So she bought him a 20-foot pole and he put it up right away.

Merck, an Evans resident and graduate of Stone Mountain High School, died in Iraq on Thursday. His wife remembers him as a patriotic man who loved his country and the military.

Merck, 38, joined the Georgia National Guard around the start of the year though he knew he might get sent to war.

He ended a 12-year career in the regular Army in March 2002 because his wife and children were tired of moving so much, but he ended up missing his life in the military. Tanya Merck said she had to support his decision.

"He loved the regiment, he loved the structure, the whole stability of what the military offered. He didn't feel like he was a complete person without that in his life," she said in a telephone interview Sunday. After he signed up for the Guard, she said, she could tell that he once again felt like he had a real purpose.

Merck, a diesel mechanic in civilian life, was called up to join the 48th Brigade Combat Team and arrived in Iraq a little more than a month ago. He died due to a "nonhostile" gunshot wound, Army officials said. His death is being investigated, and officials said Sunday they had no additional details.

Merck's death was the 22nd among members of the 48th Brigade since the Georgia-based unit was mobilized in January. He was assigned to the 648th Engineer Battalion.

Tanya Merck, 35, said Army officials told her that her husband died at his base, Camp Striker, and suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. She has heard rumors that he might have been cleaning his gun.

The Mercks met as teenagers at Stone Mountain High School. She was 14 going on 15 and he had just turned 17. He asked her out but her father said she couldn't date until her 15th birthday. So Dennis Merck went to meet her parents, and they were persuaded. "My dad said you could tell he had a good upbringing. . . . He was very respectful," she said.

Dec. 5 would have been their 18th wedding anniversary.

The couple had three children: Nicholas, 17; Mackenzi, 15; and Jacob, 10.

Merck's deployment to Iraq was his first time in combat. Tanya Merck said he wouldn't tell her much about his missions because he didn't want to worry her. (Members of the 648th often are assigned the dangerous job of removing roadside bombs.)

He would tell her about how sand would get into everything and how the heat made him feel like somebody always was holding a blow drier over his head.

She got an e-mail from him about six hours before he died. He sent her the lyrics to a song, "It Takes Two" by country singer Chris Cagle. She said he asked her to always think about him when she heard it. And he mentioned that he'd sent her two letters.

At the time, she said, it seemed odd that he took the time to write a letter on paper when he was also e-mailing her. Now, she's waiting for them to arrive.

"I guess God knew I needed something in writing, something I could read over and over, something I could have physically."

Dennis Merck also is survived by his mother, Retha Merck of Snellville; and brothers, Darren of Loganville and Bryan of Las Vegas. Funeral arrangements are pending.

© 2005 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution