Melvin Hughdean Grant
birthdate:
3/30/23
date entered:
12-4-1943
date discharged:
3/7/1946
years served:
3
highest rank:
Lance Corporal
unit operations:
N.A.D. Mare Island, California; Asiatic-Pacific:China
1st Marine Division. 7th Regiment. 2nd Battalion. E Company
Flame thrower and demolition specialist during the Battle of Okinawa
awards badges:
Presidential Unit Citation
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Occupation of China Medal
memorable moment:
I met my brother Scott in the middle of April on Okinawa. We lost 29
men in 30 minutes. We were pinned down on a trail, machine gun bullets
blazed over our heads and snipers shot at us from above. My flame
thrower assistant lay beside me with his hand close to my head; a bullet
through the thumb. My first Sergeant lay behind me, shot in the shoulder.
That same sniper zeroed in on me but missed me seven times, as the
bullet holes appeared in the sand and made the dust fly into my eyes, I
played dead and he stopped shooting at me. When finally able to move to
another location, we took our wounded with us, but had to leave our
dead. After being surrounded by the enemy for two days, our tanks came up
and rescued us. We lost several more on the way out.
career after usmc:
Minister for Church of God for 50 years
current affiliations:
CCC's
Marine League
VFW
family information:
Married to Kate (Weeks) Grant for 60 years
Five Children and 10 Grandchildren and 9 Great-Grandchildren
hobbies:
Gardening, Golf, Oklahoma Football
degrees schools:
Moore High School, Moore, OK
current address:
Rev. Melvin Grant
501 SW 4th
Moore, OK 73160
405-794-9822
revgrant@swbell.com
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