Hernán Merino Correa (July 17, 1936 - November 6, 1965) was a lieutenant of Carabineros of Chile, killed in confusing circumstances in the Del Desierto Lake in a confrontation with a contingent of the Argentine National Gendarmerie.

Thus, in March 1956 he entered to the Carabineros de Chile School, quickly becoming one of the best students, with an outstanding resume, being the first in the activities and missions that he had to execute, as his comrades and teachers testify.

In the initial exercise of his career he had different assignments, one of them was Santa Bárbara, currently located in the Biobío Region, during this period he saved a pregnant mother from drowning in the Mininco River.

He returned to the Región de Aisén as chief of a lieutenancy, unit in which he was when the border incident occurred in the area of Del Desierto Lake.

On November 6, 1965 a group of Carabineros, including Merino, went to inspect the settlers' house, and other sources reported at the time that, apart from other incidents of Argentine gendarmes entering Chile through this sector, as well as the settler, some other people, government agencies in the area and the Chilean Carabineros denounced these events to the central authorities in Santiago, Chile, denounced these facts to the central authorities in Santiago, but it seems that they were not listened to or even less read, because at the time, as in 1978, the dispute of this territory, as well as those of the Beagle Channel, further south, with Argentina, was at its height, which caused the fatal situation to be unleashed.

[9] According to the Argentine argument, the gendarmes gave the order to lay down their arms, which the carabineros refused to do, causing a nervous situation and the fatal outcome.

During the decades following his death, Hernán Merino has received a long series of recognitions and honors, including acts of commemoration throughout Chile by Carabineros every November 6,[12][13][14][15] who consider him one of their greatest heroes and an example of service.