Melvin's recently discovered letters written from the Pacific give us a true insight into the daily bombing missions he flew with the elite group known as the Air Apaches. From his records he secretly kept of these missions to declassified intelligence reports, we are able to follow these extraordinary men as they bomb and strafe Japanese shipping yards, destroyer escorts, tankers and other targets. After the war when the censors are lifted and he can reassure his father he is still alive, he tells of his sadness when planes carrying his friends had failed to return.
Just before Melvin arrived in the Pacific, Clarence and the 'green and untried' 106th Lion Division found themselves at the base of the Schnee Eifel near Laudesfeld, Germany. Their headquarters were at St. Vith, Belgium, and as they relieved the veteran 2nd Infantry Division, they were told they were getting 'a good deal.' That was on December 10, 1944. On the morning of the 16th, all hell broke loose. In that few moments when the tree tops began snapping like tooth picks, this young twenty-one year old man earned the right to say he fought in The Battle of the Bulge.
I am so proud to say that I am the daughter of two WWII veterans whose stories will now be recorded for all time.
Just before Melvin arrived in the Pacific, Clarence and the 'green and untried' 106th Lion Division found themselves at the base of the Schnee Eifel near Laudesfeld, Germany. Their headquarters were at St. Vith, Belgium, and as they relieved the veteran 2nd Infantry Division, they were told they were getting 'a good deal.' That was on December 10, 1944. On the morning of the 16th, all hell broke loose. In that few moments when the tree tops began snapping like tooth picks, this young twenty-one year old man earned the right to say he fought in The Battle of the Bulge.
I am so proud to say that I am the daughter of two WWII veterans whose stories will now be recorded for all time.
