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| Sgt. Melvin McKelroy was an airman in the 83rd Bombardment Squadron, 12th Bombardment Group. http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/17_aug2017-above-beyond-180963936/ https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=73653114&ref=acom |
Melvin C. McKelroy never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on September 12, 1917 in Arkansas. His parents were also both born in Arkansas. His father worked as a farmer. By 1930 the family had moved to Oklahoma were his father worked as an oil industry pumper. Melvin had an older sister, two younger sisters, and one younger brother. He completed four years of high school.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on October 29, 1940. He became a tech sergeant in the 83rd Bombardment Squadron, 12th Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force which was equipped with B-25 Mitchells. Sgt. McKelroy's first assignment took him to Egypt in August 1942 to help the British fight back the Afrika Korps. With the defeat of the Germans in North Africa, Sgt. McKelroy's next missions were to support the campaign in Italy. By August the 12th BG was operating out of Foggia Airfield in Italy. Sgt. McKelroy was killed on August 15, 1943. The circumstance are unknown.
His grave is at A.J. Powell Memorial Cemetery in Hominy, Oklahoma.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100
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