Merritt was born in Lawton, Oklahoma[1] and entered the Army as a private in 1952 at the height of the Korean War and over the next thirty-five years rose to 4-star rank.

In 1977 he served on the general officer study group that reviewed the West Point honor code and he commanded the Artillery Center and School (1977–80), the Army War College (1980–82) and the Combined Arms Center including the Command and General Staff College (1983).

[6] Merritt married Rosemary Ralston (18 December 1928 – 1 February 2019) on 31 October 1953, at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

[7] Merritt died on 4 January 2018, at the age of 87 at his home in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

[11] This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Media related to Jack N. Merritt at Wikimedia Commons