About
Merritt Ernest Larkins, the son of John and Effie (Miller) Larkins, was born on February 7, 1920, in Schenectady, New York. He attended Mont Pleasant High School and worked for General Electric after graduating.
On August 7, 1942, Merritt enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. He held the rank of Corporal and served with the 447th Bomber Squadron, 708th Bomber Group. Merritt and fourteen other airmen were killed when their B-17G Flying Fortress crashed into the Arkansas River near Ponca, Oklahoma, on October 22, 1943. He is buried in Parkview Cemetery, Schenectady, New York.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave. Ancestry