On December 7, 1941 Melvin was hunting quail in a field somewhere south of Houston. I’m not certain but he probably found out about the surprise attack from a radio report. But maybe it was when he got back to civilization and people who wanted to be the first to give the bad news approached him. But where is Pearl Harbor? That was usually the next question.
Melvin was inducted into the US Army Air Corps on July 31, 1942 at the age of 19. After basic training Melvin was trained in the fine art of aerial gunnery. After this training, he and undoubtedly 10 or so other crewman flew a B-24 Liberator bomber to England. After the hazardous Atlantic crossing via New Foundland, Greenland or Iceland they finally landed in England. They were now part of the famous 8th Air Force.
Melvin was a gunner on a B-24 at a time when American and British fighter escorts could only go part way to targets in Europe. The duty was extremely dangerous. The chances of surviving 20-25 missions were slim at best. Not only did these crewmen have to deal with German fighters and flak, the bitter cold at the very high altitudes they flew took its toll on many pilots, bombardiers, navagators and gunners. The crewmen wore electric suits which were plugged into a receptacle in the bomber. Many times during combat, these suits became unplugged, or the system failed because of damage to the aircraft. Frostbite took its toll on many members of the Army Air Forces.
Melvin was a member of the 453rd Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force. When asked what was your most memorable war experience, Melvin said; “Too many to answer!”
He was discharged on October 13, 1945 with the rank of Staff Sergeant. His awards include the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters. He also was awarded the Good Conduct medal.
No comments:
Post a Comment