Melvin remembers that he was working in a grocery store making $1.00 an hour that infamous Sunday, December 7, 1941. He also remembers singer Ernest Tubb singing “Walking the floor over you,” on a nearby radio. Suddenly the song was interrupted by an announcement over the radio that Pearl Harbor Hawaii had been attacked. His and the rest of America’s life was never the same again.
He was inducted into the US Army on September 19, 1942 at the age of 20. After basic training, Melvin was sent overseas and served with the 20th Army Air Forces in the Pacific.
Melvin worked on the island of Guam, and was a Corporal in the shipping and receiving section as a clerk.
One of Melvin’s most memorable experiences was when he was on-board a troop ship at the end of the war. The Captain of the troop ship noticed a Japanese destroyer rapidly approaching. The Captain hailed the destroyer and informed the Japanese Captain that the war was over. Luckily, the Imperial Navy officer believed the troopship Captain and ordered his ship to follow the American ship to the nearest safe harbor.
Melvin believes that his wartime experiences helped him including his knowledge of business management helped him through a lifetime of entrepreneurship.
He was discharged on February 6, 1946.
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