COLUMBIA'S MERITT EARNS MEDALS IN IRAQ
LSA Adder, Iraq – January 24, 2005 – Both a warrior and a humanitarian, SPC Dustin
Meritt of Columbia, SC represents both faces of an ever changing definition of what
it means to be a soldier serving in Iraq. Meritt, who received both the Army Achievement
Medal and Army Commendation Medal this week for his meritorious service leading
up to and including Operation Iraqi Freedom II personifies basic counterinsurgency
soldiering in Iraq. Besides logging over 70,000 miles as a Gunner/Driver in “Wolfpack
2” providing security for his battalion commander LTC Mark King, he has also played
a key role in the battalion's civil-military operations (CMO).
Captain Scott Bell, the 3-178 FA BN's civil-military affairs officer says "the goal
of CMO in Iraq is to deprive insurgents of their greatest weapon - disaffection
of the populace." He feels "soldiers like SPC Meritt are having a huge impact in
the battalion's AO (area of operations)." The unit's AO stretches along the main
supply route from southern to south-central Iraq. Bell believes "CMO is all about
being a good neighbor. Guys like Dustin who go out and do what they can to help
the kids of our neighbors here in Iraq are making it pretty difficult on an insurgency
seeking credibility." SPC Meritt who has served on over 100 of the battalion's CMO
missions feels "this is one of the most rewarding things I have done here. It's
an experience I'll never forget."
SPC Dustin Meritt is married to the former Ginny Griffin of Chesnee, SC. The couple
call Columbia home. Meritt was mobilized for active duty with the SC Army National
Guard’s 3rd of the 178th Field Artillery (FA) Battalion (BN) for service in Iraq
on December 27, 2003.