[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 6, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1180-E1181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE DEDICATED SERVICE OF MAJOR CHARLES E. ``DOC'' MERKEL, 
                      JR., PH.D., U.S. ARMY (RET.)

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 6, 2016

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Major Charles 
E. ``Doc'' Merkel, Jr., Ph.D., U.S. Army (ret.) upon the occasion of 
his retirement from the 53d Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Dr. 
Merkel has dedicated more than 45 years in support of our Nation's 
defense. His service began with a 20 year career in the U.S. Army, then 
as a member of the private sector supporting development of air 
armament systems, and culminating with a civil servant career with the 
53d Wing. It is my privilege to pay tribute to his lifetime of 
honorable service to Northwest Florida and our great Nation.
   His active duty military career saw a variety of assignments. As an 
Army aviator, Dr. Merkel flew UH-1H helicopters as a member of Casper 
Platoon of the 173d Airborne Brigade (Sep) in the Republic of Vietnam, 
where he also helped collect and distribute school supplies and 
clothing to a Christian and Buddhist orphanage in the village of Bong 
Son.
   He was assigned to the United States Army Signal Center and School 
and then commanded the Fort Monmouth Ceremonial Unit for a year prior 
to being selected as a test pilot for the U.S. Army Electronics 
Command. During his final two years at the Signal Center and School, 
Dr. Merkel served as the Commanding Officer of the 800-man Headquarters 
and Headquarters Company.
   Upon completion of the Infantry Officer Advanced Course and Airborne 
School at Fort Benning, Georgia, Dr. Merkel was assigned to the 2nd 
``All Infantry'' Brigade, 2nd Division, Camp Hovey, Republic of Korea 
as an S-2 intelligence officer and S-5 civil affairs officer. For his 
humanitarian work while in Korea, he was elected as [Honorary] Mayor in 
Kwang Am-Ri (Tokko-ri) and was recognized by People to People 
International.
   When he returned to the U.S., Dr. Merkel served on the United States 
Army Aviation Board as a test project officer and later as division 
chief of the Electronics Systems Test Division. While on the board, he 
performed operational testing to enhance pilot and aircraft 
survivability.
   He then served as Senior Assistant Professor of Military Science and 
Professor of Military Science at Valley Forge Military Academy and 
Junior College in Wayne, Pennsylvania, before completing his military 
active duty career in the Army as a United States Army Tank-Automotive 
Command test engineer and Assistant Program Manager.
   Dr. Merkel retired from the Army as a Master Army Aviator with over 
3000 hours of total flying time, and decorations that include the 
Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart, 
Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with eleven oak leaf clusters, 
Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, and an Army 
Achievement Medal.
   Upon his transition to civilian life, Dr. Merkel continued his 
service by working as a contractor with the Advanced Medium Range Air-
to-Air Missile Program, during which he was recognized with the 
Outstanding Achievement through Value Engineering Award for 1993 for 
his efforts managing special test vehicles and evaluating value 
engineering change proposals.
   Most recently, Dr. Merkel served as a historian, responsible for 
covering military actions and civil disasters around the world, 
including in support of the Global War on Terrorism and Operation 
Enduring Freedom. While attached to the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing in 
Kandahar, Afghanistan, in addition to his responsibilities as wing 
historian, Dr. Merkel established a campaign to provide the children in 
the province with school supplies. For his efforts, he was awarded the 
Exemplary Civilian Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Medal, and 
a special award from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 
Additionally, Dr. Merkel received the Exemplary Civilian Service Medal, 
the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and the Air Force 
Expeditionary Service Ribbon while in support of Operation Enduring 
Freedom and attached to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing.
   His education includes a Master of Science from Troy University and 
Master of Arts from Temple University. He also completed the United 
States Army Command and General Course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and 
received his Ph.D. in history from Florida State University. He is an 
adjunct professor of history at Troy University, Northwest Florida 
State College, and Central Texas College.
   His additional awards and accolades include: the John L. Geoghegan 
Alumni Citizenship Award in 2009 from the Widener-PMC

[[Page E1181]]

Alumni Association and the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus for Military 
Service by Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. In 2010, he 
was also inducted into the Henry H. ``Hap'' Arnold Society by the 
Association of Graduates at the United States Military Academy.
   An active member of the Northwest Florida community, Dr. Merkel 
supports numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Fisher House 
at Eglin Air Force Base, the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, and the 
Walton County Heritage Museum; he is the president of the West Point 
Society of Northwest Florida; and he is the First Congressional 
District Coordinator and Admissions Representative for the United 
States Military Academy at West Point, New York. I can personally 
attest to his hard work and efforts in this capacity, and I appreciate 
his personal initiative to follow the progress of all Northwest Florida 
cadet appointees to West Point and to help ensure they get all the 
external advocacy/encouragement they may need for successful 
graduation.
   Mr. Speaker, without question, Major Charles E. ``Doc'' Merkel, Jr., 
Ph.D., is retiring with an honorable career on which he can proudly 
hang his cap. He has touched countless lives throughout his time both 
in and out of the military and has given selflessly back to the country 
he loves so dearly. It is my pleasure to join a grateful Northwest 
Florida community and Nation in saluting his lifetime of service. Vicki 
and I thank Dr. Merkel; his wife, the former Diane Davis of Annandale, 
Virginia; daughter, Leigh Anne; son, Charles Robert and his wife, the 
former Julie Jordan of Graceville, Florida, and his three-year-old son, 
Charles Edward and wish them all the best for continued success.

                          ____________________