World War II Veteran and Shoreline resident Merlin Staatz is recipient of the Home Depot Foundation’s Campaign to Support Veterans

Merlin Staatz with Team Depot. Photo by Shelley Staatz

By Doug Cerretti

WWII veteran and Shoreline resident Merlin Staatz was a recipient of the Home Depot Foundation’s Campaign, which aims to provide life-changing moments of support for individual veterans. 

Merlin, a member of Shoreline Post 227 of The American Legion, was honored to receive support from The Home Depot Foundation’s Campaign. 

Team Depot member working
on a flower bed.
Photo by Shelley Staatz

Team Depot, The Home Depot’s associate volunteer force made landscaping improvements, clearing out flower beds, replacing plants and laying out new bark. 

The project started last January and continued last week. The coordinator of the project was Perri DeMeritt, Home Depot Associate and Community Outreach Liaison. 

Shelley Staatz said, “My Dad is very thankful for the time and effort of Perri, Team Depot and the Home Depot Foundation.”

Merlin was born in Woodbine, Kansas in 1926 and enlisted in the US Army in 1944 at age 18. He soon joined the 43rd Infantry Division in the Philippines and was wounded as an Army scout, receiving the Purple Heart. 

After being honorably discharged, Merlin used the GI bill to obtain a bachelor’s degree at Emporia Teachers Collage and a master’s degree from Pittsburg State College. 

With degrees in hand, Merlin taught industrial arts in schools in Kansas, Oregon and Washington including King’s High School in Shoreline. He retired from teaching after 25 years.

Doug Cerretti and Merlin Staatz testing out the Home Depot donated bench they assembled.
Photo by Shelley Staatz

Giving back to veterans is personal to The Home Depot as more than 35,000 of the company’s associates are veterans or military spouses. 

Over the past 10 years, The Home Depot Foundation has helped renovate and enhance more than 50,000 veteran homes and facilities nationally, ensuring more of our nation’s heroes have a safe, comfortable place to call home that fits their individual needs.