Rear Admiral Merrill Wythe Ruck, USN (Retired)

 

A Biography

 

 

Rear Admiral Merrill Wythe Ruck

 

Rear Admiral Merrill Wythe Ruck was born in New Britain, Connecticut on 30 May 1941. He graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and obtained his US Navy commission from the NROTC program in June 1963.He later he received a Master of Science degree from George Washington University.

 

His initial sea duty assignment was on board the USS Cimarron AO-22 from July 1963 to August 1965. After attending Patrol Craft Fast (Swift Boat) training at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, California, he was off to Vietnam and service as the first Officer-in-Charge of PCF-38 in Cat Lo, RVN. Other sea duty assignments saw him serve as the Commanding Officer of the USS Bagley DE 1069 from 7 March 1978 to 22 Apr 1980; Engineering Officer on the USS Coral Sea CV 43 and as Commander of Destroyer Squadron 31.

 

His shore duty assignments included: Assistant Deputy Director Political Military Affairs in the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as the Commander of Naval Base San Francisco.

 

Following his retirement, after 34 years of naval service in 1997, he served as the Senior Administrator to the Supreme Allied Commander in Norfolk, Virginia until 2004. On 1 October 2005 RADM Ruck became the Executive Director of the Naval Post Graduate School Foundation in Monterey, California.

RADM Ruck is married to Diane Sapeck of Joliet Illinois. They reside in Pacific Grove, California. They have one daughter, Heather Paprocki who lives in Aurora, Colorado, with her husband and son.