CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 5 CHRISTOPHER A. MERRILL

Command Chief Warrant Officer, Maine Army National Guard

 

CW5 Merrill is a Maine native. He entered the Maine Army National Guard on February 26, 1990. He completed Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training as an Administrative Specialist at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.  CW5 Merrill served in the 286th Supply and Service Battalion from 1990 to 1995 before transferring to the 133rd Engineer Battalion, and joined the Active Guard Reserve (AGR) program.

Throughout his thirty year career, CW5 Merrill has progressed through many positions of increasing responsibility. He has been an Administrative Specialist, Carpenter/Mason, Detachment Readiness NCO, Personnel Services NCO, Brigade Personnel Technician, Health Systems Specialist, Officer Personnel Manager, and AGR Manager.    He has served in several units in the 133d Engineer Battalion, the 240th Engineer Group and in the Joint Force Headquarters.  CW5 Merrill deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm (1990-1991) and again in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (2008) as an Embedded Training Team Mentor to the Afghan National Army.   These assignments have prepared him for his current position as Maine's 4th State Command Chief Warrant Officer.

His military education includes the Primary Leadership Development Course (RC), Basic Non Commissioned Officer’s Course (RC), Advanced Non Commissioned Officer’s Course, Transition Team Training Course, Warrant Officer Candidate School, Warrant Officer Basic Course, Warrant Officer Advanced Course, Warrant Officer Staff Course, and the Warrant Officer Senior Service Course. 

CW5 Merrill’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal w/ 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal w/ 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Action Badge, and numerous other Federal and State Awards, including the MEARNG Sergeants Major Soldier of the Year Award and 15 MEARNG Physical Fitness Awards.

CW5 Merrill lives in Augusta, Maine with his wife Tiffany and their two children, Brooklynn and Kristin. He is a lifetime member of the National Guard Association of the United States, and served on the Executive Committee of the National Guard Association of Maine from 2017 to 2020.  He is also a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars as well as other organizations.