[1][3][4] He was a 1955 graduate of Riverview Gardens High School, received a Bachelor's degree in Political science from the University of Missouri[5] and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
[6] He graduated from U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School at Newport, Rhode Island, on 14 June 1960 and was assigned to heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles (CA-135).
The group probed the Mekong Delta waterways, engaging Vietcong guerrillas in operations in which Lieutenant Meyerkord distinguished himself for coolness, resourcefulness, and concern for his men.
[5] The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Harold Dale Meyerkord (NSN: 0-639933), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism while serving with the Naval Advisory Group, United States Military Assistance Command, Republic of Vietnam, and assigned as Naval Advisor to the River Force of the Vietnamese Navy.
On 30 November 1964, he was instrumental in turning defeat into victory when, under fire, he reconnoitered ahead of friendly forces and discovered that river craft could proceed no farther because of a Viet Cong canal block.