After more than 31 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, WO O.A. Merino, CD, will retire on 2 Aug 2024. A DwD reception will be held on 15 Aug 24 from 1300 to 1500 hrs at the Garrison Pub in Calgary. If attending, please RSVP to Capt Richter at rita.richter@forces.gc.ca. Anecdotes and well wishes may be sent to Capt Richter at: rita.richter@forces.gc.ca no later than 12 Aug 2024.

Warrant Officer (WO) Merino is originally from San Vicente, El Salvador. He moved to Alberta with his older brother as a youth.

WO Merino joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1992 and attended Canadian Forces Recruit School in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. Then he completed his Combat Engineer training shortly after at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in Chilliwack, BC.

During his career, WO Merino was posted to both 1 and 2 Combat Engineer Regiments, Edmonton and Petawawa respectively, and then to 41 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters in Calgary. He has had several deployments in a Sapper role: Operation CAVALIER Yugoslavia (1995), Operation KINETIC Kosovo (2000), Operation APOLLO Afghanistan (2002), Task Force Afghanistan Roto 1 (2006), Task Force Afghanistan Roto 5 (2008), Task Force Afghanistan Roto 11 (2011).

WO Merino was awarded the Commander Land Staff Command Commendation in 2004, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the Chief of Defence Staff Commendation, 1st Award, in 2013.

In 2012, WO Merino was posted to 41 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters in Calgary in the role of G3 Individual Training WO, a change from Sapper roles he performed up until this posting. The move to Calgary brought his family – spouse Nicole and son Carlos – closer to his brother and his brother’s family. He began working on certification in the Occupational Health and Safety Industry which he plans to further pursue opportunities in this field after retirement.

Calgary and the Calgary area are also closer to the mountains in which WO Merino enjoys as a recreational hiker. Other hobbies WO Merino enjoy are biking and wood working.