Mr Paul Arnold Merrick

Paul Merrick passed away peacefully on Aug 2, 2008. He had been battling advanced colon cancer. His wife and daughters surrounded Paul, as God called him to end the fight. MILITARY CAREER Paul joined the Air Force in 1960. He was first trained as a navigator, but always wanted to be a pilot. As a navigator, he was a Hurricane Hunter from 1962 to 1964, and flew all over the world with the Military Airlift Command in C-130s from 1964-1965. He got his opportunity to retrain as a pilot in 1966, and attended pilot training at Webb AFB. Paul became certified as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) in 1968. He directed air strikes and support for ground troops in Vietnam and Laos. Initially he served as a covey FAC with the 20TASS at Danang AB, Vietnam. Then in Laos, he was part of an elite group, known as the Ravens, who provided clandestine support for indigenous troops behind enemy lines. As a Raven, Paul flew multiple missions daily from Long Tien and Leang Prabang, Laos. The Raven death rate was very high, but fortunately Paul survived. Paul�s next assignment was to fly F-4 Phantoms. After tactical fighter training, he returned to Southeast Asia in 1970 for another tour, both flying and planning tactical operations out of Udorn Royal Thai AFB in Thailand. From 1971 to 1973, Paul was an F-4 instructor pilot at Homestead AFB, Florida with the Triple Nickel squadron. During that time, he returned to Udorn as flight commander with the 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron for one more tour. Throughout the entire Vietnam War, Paul proudly flew over 700 combat missions in Southeast Asia, including 144 missions into North Vietnam. In 1973, Paul was transferred to Germany so he could work with NATO. He was stationed at Ramstein AFB with the 4th Allied Tactical Air Force (4ATAF). They provided joint military planning for the European theatre, and Paul served alongside both German and Canadian officers. After 4 years in Germany, Paul was moved to Keesler AFB for his final tour. He worked in the Airborne Command Post. He retired with 20 years of service at the rank of Major. The medals he was awarded include the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLCs), and the Air Medal with 30 OLCs. FAMILY LIFE Paul was a native Californian born in 1939. He was the second son of Dick and Marie Merrick, three years younger than his older brother, Rick. He grew up in Los Angeles. Paul met Jeanne Ruenitz in 1958 on a Methodist summer work team to Germany. They dated as they both attended college, and then delayed their wedding for one year while Paul completed Air Force officer training, finally marrying in February 1961. Paul and Jeanne�s first foreign assignment was to Bermuda, where first daughter, Pamela, was born at Kindley AFB hospital. There they also adopted their first family pet, a Basenji-mix, who they named Vixen. In Bermuda, the family lived in a quaint house built in the 1800s. And while Paul left to evacuate the planes from the base, Jeanne experienced her first hurricane. Upon returning to California, Paul and Jeanne had a second daughter, Susan, who was born in the hospital at Travis AFB. Years later, Susan directed the renovation of that same hospital as an Air Force officer. The California assignment allowed Paul and Jeanne to be close to family and visit more often. But the Air Force never leaves you in one place very long, so the family was next moved to Texas. There, Paul and Jeanne�s last attempt to have a Merrick boy resulted in their third daughter, Laurie, who they would not trade for the world. Laurie was born at Webb AFB. While Paul served in Southeast Asia, Jeanne and the girls moved back to California to be near family, including parents, Paul�s brother, and Jeanne�s sister. The girls enjoyed spending time and going places with their cousins. The entire family was relieved to have Paul return. Reassignment to Florida gave Paul and Jeanne the perfect location to purchase their dream boat. The family spent most weekends on the water, exploring the Keys, fishing, and water skiing. After a couple of years in Florida, the girls were the perfect age to travel, when Paul got an assignment to Germany. All leave time was used to travel extensively through Europe. Paul first took the family to Austria, where everyone learned to ski. They also visited Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Switzerland, France, Spain, England, and the Scandinavian countries. During their four years stationed at Ramstein AFB, Paul and Jeanne passed the difficult German hunting license test, and were often invited to hunt with their German friends. Paul also earned his BA from the University of Maryland during this time. Paul and Jeanne decided to purchase their first house in Biloxi, Mississippi, while stationed at Keesler AFB. The girls were thrilled to have separate bedrooms in the newly constructed house. A boat and backyard pool provided fun until Hurricane Frederick destroyed the pool. Paul�s decision to retire from the Air Force in 1980 was not difficult, nor was the decision to return to California, the family, and the ocean. Paul�s parents provided room in their house for the family, while they searched for both a new home and new jobs. Paul�s experience as a fighter pilot helped him convince Northrop to hire him as a technical writer for flight manuals. Paul began writing manuals for the F-5, F-20, and F-23, and then went on to become the project manager for publications. He hand picked the staff and was very proud of his group writing the flight manuals for the new B-2 stealth bomber. One of the test pilots referred to Paul as �the world�s greatest flight manual writer�. Wanting to be within 5 miles of the beach, Paul and Jeanne bought a home in Huntington Beach in 1981 and Paul never moved again. Pam and Susan graduated from USC thanks to their brains and two Air Force ROTC scholarships, and Laurie attended Golden West College. Paul retired from Northrop in 1994. He looked forward to travel and relaxation. Paul and Jeanne bought a motor home and traveled around the western United States. They adopted several dogs from the animal shelter over the years. Their favorite was a Lab/Rottweiler mix named Phantom, who accompanied them on their travels. During retirement, Paul and Jeanne also leased property in Mulege, Baja California Sur, Mexico. They had a house only 50 feet from the river and spent 4 to 6 months fishing and boating there every year. Paul�s parents, and his brother and sister-in-law leased property nearby. In 2006, however, Hurricane Juan raised the river, causing destruction and leaving 8 � 10 feet of water in Paul and Jeanne�s home. Paul spent many days supervising removal of mud and trying to salvage as much as possible. Paul was very proud of his children. All three girls are happily married and have good jobs. Pamela lives in Longmont, Colorado with her husband, Scott, and son Nick, 16. They also have a daughter, Melanie, 24, who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pamela is a Computer Science professor at Regis University in Denver. Susan is retiring after 22 years in the US Air Force as a Lt Colonel. She served in the Medial Services Corp supervising design and construction of military medical facilities. She recently moved back to Fountain Valley, California, with her husband, Ramon, and their daughter, Hannah, 9, and son, Cardy, 7. Laurie works as a Business Systems Analyst. She lives in Garden Grove, California with her husband, Brett. They have 4 boys: Dylan, 18, Brandon, 16, J.P., 11, and Adam, 6. Paul always loved having his family near. He enjoyed hearing the sound of his grandchildren splashing in the backyard pool and playing together. Those were the sounds he heard during his last days at home under hospice care. He left us way too soon, but we know that he will be waiting for us in heaven.