Merlin German (November 15, 1985 – April 11, 2008) was a

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

stationed in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

who survived a

roadside bomb An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mechan ...

blast in 2005. He became a symbol of recovery throughout the United States, soon known as the "Miracle Marine,"'Miracle' Marine dies
Associated Press, May 2, 2008. during the 17 months he spent hospitalized following the blast.Rivera
"Sgt. Merlin German, Marine burned in Iraq, dies"
''Newsday'', May 2, 2008. German eventually regained the ability to walk, and set up a charity for child burn victims. Just over three years after the blast, he died following a minor skin graft surgery.

Early life and education

German was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, on November 15, 1985, to Hemery and Lourdes German, immigrants from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. He grew up in Washington Heights with seven siblings: sisters Marcia and Lawren, and brothers Ariel, Freddie, Johnny, Alejandro and Julio. By the age of 11, he told one of his brothers, Ariel, that he wanted to be a Marine when he grew up. In 2001, he moved to

Greenburgh, New York Greenburgh is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in western Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York. The population was 95,397 at the time of the 2020 census. History Greenburgh developed along ...

, to avoid moving to the

with his parents, and attended Woodlands High School for his junior and senior years. He moved in with one of his sisters, Lawren German, and her husband, his brother-in-law, Rafael Diaz, along with their three sons, his nephews, Ralph Junior, Matt, and Isaiah. In high school, he spent most days working out in the gym and joined a program where he'd run with Marines on weekends, trying to get in shape for boot camp.

Career

German enlisted in the Marine Corps September 8, 2003. He graduated from 2nd battalion, Golf company follow series platoon 2106 on December 19, 2003, and received a meritorious promotion to Private First Class (PFC) upon graduation for being one of four squad leaders. In April 2004, he transferred to his first permanent duty station, 5th Battalion,

11th Marines The 11th Marine Regiment is an artillery regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Known as the "Cannon Cockers", the regiment falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I M ...

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is the ...

where he served as a Field Artillery Cannoneer. Shortly after he was assigned to his unit, he was sent to Machinegunner's Course. Among the Corporals and Sergeants, he was the only Private First Class to attend the course. He graduated second in his class. In September 2004, he deployed to

in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. German's parent unit was 2nd Battalion,

from

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. German was medically retired on September 28, 2007, as a result of his injuries.

Iraq War and IED injury

In September 2004, German's unit was attached to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines and became part of Weapons Platoon for convoy security. His unit was charged with safely transporting prisoners and cargo, and German participated in over 150 successful missions. German's Platoon Sergeant and Company Commander applauded him for his keen ability to spot improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In the first six months of deployment, German found 8 IEDs without anyone sustaining injuries. On February 21, 2005, Sergeant German's squad was on a mission to recon an unknown route from Jordan to Baghdad. While en route to Camp Ramadi, German spotted an IED while standing in the turret at his

Mk 19 grenade launcher The Mk 19 grenade launcher (pronounced Mark 19) is an American 40 mm belt-fed automatic grenade launcher that was first developed during the Vietnam War. Overview The Mk 19 is a belt-fed, blowback-operated, air-cooled, crew-serve ...

. With no time to alert the driver, their

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...

was hit on a left side by a gas-fed

shaped charge A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, init ...

explosive. German was blown clear off the vehicle, and his fellow Marines helped extinguish the flames that had already burned 97% of his total body surface area.

Recovery

German was transported to

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), also known as Landstuhl Hospital, is a U.S. Army medical center, located in the German town of Landstuhl, near Ramstein Air Base. The installation is an amalgamation of Marceau Kaserne (german: Infan ...

in Germany, where he was given a grim prognosis. He was transported again to the

Brooke Army Medical Center Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) is the United States Army's premier medical institution. Located on Fort Sam Houston, BAMC, a 425-bed Academic Medical Center, is the Department of Defense's largest facility and only Level 1 Trauma Center. BAMC ...

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

on February 25, 2005, and stayed there as an

inpatient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health ca ...

for 17 months. He underwent surgeries during this time, gradually rebuilding his abilities.

Later life

Life out of the hospital

After regaining his ability to walk, German purchased a home in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

and founded the Merlin's Miracles charity organization, to help child burn victims.

Death

On April 11, 2008, German died at the Brooke Army Medical Center after surgery to graft skin onto his lip. His memorial service was held on April 22, 2008. Sergeant German is buried in Florida National Cemetery. The Wounded Warrior Regiment renamed its call-in help center in

Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southeaster ...

after German on December 4, 2008. The center is designed to help veterans receive care and other assistance.

Bibliography

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:German, Merlin 1985 births 2008 deaths Military personnel from New York City United States Marines American military personnel killed in the Iraq War United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War