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"The 22nd are still fighting..."
―Hank Merrill's last words.

Hank Merrill is a character in L.A. Noire. He was a fellow United States Marine alongside Cole Phelps and Jack Kelso. He eventually died due to being struck and dismembered by a Japanese Nambu artillery piece during the battle of Sugar Loaf Hill in the Second World War.

Biography[]

World War II[]

During World War II, Hank joined Officer Candidate School for the United States Marine Corps. During that time, he befriended main protagonist Cole Phelps. He then was shipped out to Okinawa with Cole and the 6th Marine Division.

"Say goodbye to your friend Hank, Jack."
Cole Phelps to Jack Kelso.
"He was your friend too, Cole. Is this is how you're going to leave him?"
―Jack Kelso back to Cole Phelps.

Later, during the assault on Sugar Loaf Hill, Merrill was in a foxhole with Phelps as their squad was decimated by enfilade machine gun fire and mortars. The two discussed the possibility of retreat or assault, with Merrill advising they hold their ground due to the fact that the 22nd Marine Battalion was still firing their weapons. He proposed this point to Cole until he was blown up by Japanese artillery fire from a recently-placed Nambu, resulting in his complete dismemberment. Merrill's blood sprayed over Phelps and the latter was mentally traumatized by the incident. A few hours later, Jack Kelso and his marine squadron found Cole. Kelso remarked that he (Cole) is one of the few of his squad to survive. The latter then informed Jack about Hank's death, as the two looked on at his brutalized remains before being relieved by the officer in charge of the operation. Cole is praised by the Commanding Officer and honored with a Silver Star recommendation for his seemingly heroic actions - actions which Cole, and presumably Kelso, do not see as worthy of a reward.

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