M. Edward Melton was born in Henderson, Kentucky in June 1925. He had a happy childhood. They had no money, but neither did anyone else. His mother wanted him to be a classical pianist. He went into the Army as an enlisted man. He had to learn to play the songs people liked to sing. After that, he played the party piano. He skipped a couple of grades in school. He graduated high school in Henderson. He was working in the grocery store one Sunday morning when he heard about the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. If they had not used the atomic bomb [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945], the war would probably still be going on. General Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] sent Melton to West Point [Annotator's Note: United States Military Academy in West Point, New York]. He was there for four years. He graduated in 1950 and went into the Air Force. Most people thought the war would not last very long.

M. Edward Melton knew he was going to be drafted. If he volunteered, he would have a better chance to go into the Army Air Corps. He did go into the artillery for a little while in California. He was sent to Camp Gruber, Oklahoma for training. He ended up in the infantry because they did not need people in the Air Corps. He trained with an M1 rifle [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine], and 105 Howitzers [Annotator's Note: M2A1 105mm howitzer; standard light field howitzer]. They knew they were going to be sent to New Jersey to the staging area and then get on a liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship]. Melton was one of the few people who did not get seasick. They slept on bunks that were stacked four high. He slept on a top bunk and stayed on the deck as much as he could. It took them 14 days to get from New Jersey to Marseille, France. He thought the trip was exciting. He was a country boy from Henderson [Annotator’s Note: Henderson, Kentucky]. Being down in the hold with all the sick people was the worst experience he ever had.

M. Edward Melton went to Europe where his unit [Annotator’s Note: 42nd Infantry Division] was committed by Eisenhower [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force; 34th President of the United States] to provide a wing to NATO. This was after World War Two. They landed in Marseille [Annotator’s Note: Marseille, France]. They were trying to teach them some of the languages. It was a big adventure for Melton to be in France. He was assigned to the infantry as an artilleryman. He was a forward observer for the artillery. He had a crew. There were four men in a crew. They stayed together until some of them were killed and they had to get replacements. He was not wounded during the war, so he never got a Purple Heart [Annotator's Note: the Purple Heart Medal is an award bestowed upon a United States service member who has been wounded as a result of combat actions against an armed enemy]. He could not bring himself to realize that people were trying to kill him. They were worried about the whole situation. The forward observer team had a lieutenant, staff sergeant, driver, and radioman. The radioman was replaced twice because of injuries sustained. They were always looking for a soft point in the defense, then they would call in the artillery. They thought they were lucky to be close to the frontline and not get hurt. One time, his team was discovered and two of the crew were killed. Melton did not realize it was scary until later. He was in Alsace-Lorraine [Annotator’s Note: Alsace-Lorraine, France] which was just south of the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. They thought they were going to get involved, but they did not. Once they were transferred into General Patton’s [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] Army, they saw a lot more action. He did not like the Germans, but he did not have feelings of hatred. He had too many things to worry about. He had some close encounters. The M1 rifle [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] was a wonderful weapon. The hardest part was being under fire and hoping the shells did not get too close. The German 88 weapon [Annotator's Note: German 88mm multi-purpose artillery] had a high velocity and they could hear the shells go by. If they heard the shell, they knew they were not going to be hit by it.

M. Edward Melton thought the end of the war was simple. They were fighting old men instead of young men. They liberated Dachau [Annotator's Note: Dachau concentration camp complex near Dachau, Germany] outside of Munich [Annotator’s Note: Munich, Germany]. This was one of the most disgusting things he ever saw. Men were emaciated and people that were his size weighed only 70 pounds. It made his cause seem just. The guys had boney fingers and glassy eyes. They were outside of Munich in the war of occupation in Austria. Melton thought he was going to be shipped home in five or six months. His commander asked if he had thought about going to West Point [Annotator's Note: United States Military Academy in West Point, New York]. This was a competitive program in the 3rd Army. Melton got the appointment and he was able to go home. He went to college for a semester before going to West Point. He went to West Point from 1946 to 1950. He thinks future generations need to see what they went through. Museums are important. He wants people to have strong patriotic feelings and strong national feelings.