Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Richard “Rick” Merritt, a veteran of more than 36 years of service, 25 of which he spent in the 75th Ranger Regiment, was named Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army during the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition.

“This is special,” Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer said as he introduced Merritt on Oct. 15 at the conclusion of a professional development forum he hosted.

A legendary soldier who is in the Ranger Hall of Fame, Merritt logged 1,500 raids over a cumulative 57 months in combat, was a senior instructor at the U.S. Army Jungle School at Fort Sherman in Panama, served as command sergeant major of the 75th Ranger Regiment, was the command senior enlisted leader for two U.S. Joint Special Operations Command task forces,  was command sergeant major of the 10th Mountain Division, and he was command senior enlisted leader to the commanding general of Eighth U.S. Army Korea in Yongsan and Camp Humphreys, Weimer said.

Merritt now escorts Korean War veterans to Korea to see the places where they served and fought in the 1950s.

Merritt began his remarks before dozens of senior sergeants major by invoking the memory of Sgt. Jonathan “Doc” Peney, a 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, combat medic who was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 1, 2010, at the age of 22 while tending to a wounded soldier on a rooftop.

“Where do we find soldiers like Doc Peney? I know where we find 'em. I know, because I'm looking at them,” Merritt said. “That's right, look left, look right, look in the mirror. You are them and the soldiers you lead. We find them in the backyards, farms, cities and suburbs. They're out there, they’re our charge, American citizens, sons and daughters that we will give every opportunity to live, combat, fight our battles, take care of their own and survive.”

Merritt thanked his wife and his family, without whom he wouldn’t have been able to do the things he’s done, he said. As a Soldier for Life, Merritt said, he will always continue to serve, talk to soldiers and give back.

“Now, I'm not one to say flowery things, but I'll tell you, this is an honor that even the president of the United States hasn’t achieved,” Merritt said. “All I ever did was surround myself with folks better than I, and from the looks of today, I can see I'm still doing just that. They're here, men and women that I walked with on the shoulders of giants.”

The tradition of naming an Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army began in 2016 when retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, a past president and CEO of AUSA, received the honor.

— Gina Cavallaro