Colonel Mervin B. Porter, United States Marine Corps, retired, 87, died March 4, 2008. He was surrounded by his family, after a valiant battle with a confluence of illnesses.
A career Marine Corps Aviator, Colonel Porter served in World War II, Korea and in two tours in Viet Nam, where he earned the respect of the many men he commanded.
He was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat V, the Distinguished Flying Cross, The Purple Heart, numerous Air Medals and many other medals for distinguished military service.
The son of the late Roy Porter, Mervin was born in Oregon and grew up in Bakersfield, California. He attended Kern County Union High School where he lettered in basketball and baseball. Mervin also attended UCLA where he majored in Business Administration.
Mervin is survived by his wife of 40 years, Betty Porter of Newport Beach, California. Perpetually seen arm-in-arm or holding hands, the couple’s demonstrative affection for each other was admired by their family and many friends.
After Merv’s retirement from the military, he and his wife enjoyed traveling the world with their successful importing business, The Jade House. The couple also conducted seminars on “How to Travel, Make Money and Have Fun in the Importing Business.”
Merv will also be missed by his daughter, B.J. Martin and son-in-law, Chris Martin, of Ross, California, and his grandsons, Grant and Matthew Martin. Mervin is also survived by his brother, Vincent Porter, and sister-in-law, Ardy Porter of Anaheim, California and their children Mark Porter, Jill Bisbee, and Lisa Molina and their families. Colonel Porter will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, as was his wish, on 13 August 2008 at 3 P.M.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard