textwellenmelvin1938.html

North High School Wall of Honor
Melvin Wellen
Class of January, 1938

Research done by Claradell Shedd, Class of 1953. PAGE IN PROGRESS

Melvin graduated from the North High class of January, 1938. He was drafted into the US Army in early 1942 in Des Moines, IA. When? At the time of his enlistment, his next of kin was E.W. Colwell, 1439 17th Street, Des Moines, IA. His service number was ________.

Melvin Wellen

Year	x	Rank	x	Status

January, 1938	x	x	x	Graduated from North High, Des Moines, IA
date	x	Worked? Student?	x	Where and when?
1942	x	Drafted; US Army	x	Had planned wedding. Two months before the date, Melvin was drafted and reported to Army location in San Francisco.
April 29, 1942	x	Married	x	After being there one month, the prospective bride, Shirley Rupp, arrived from Iowa, and they were married at the Presidio Chapel.
date	x	Training	x	Melvin shipped out for the Pacific Theater via troop transport named? Destinations?
date	x	Stationed	x	In Pacific Theater for three years. Where?
date	x	Duty Station	x	Where and when?
date	x	Duty Station	x	Where and when?
date	x	Stationed	x	Where and when?
date	x	Retired	x	Discharge. Where?
date	x	Civilian	x	Des Moines, IA

Photos below are just samples. Will be replaced by appropriate Wellen photos.


	Above: 1995 listing Zarnow Entertainment & Orchestra Service; Des Moines
	Photo at left: Dagwell Orchestera second from left, Dale Crowell; third from left, Ralph Zarnow; fifth from left, Roy Ramsay


457th Bomber Group?	B-17 Flying Fortress	748th Bomber Squadron?

	photo
New Caledonia (sample)	Sample photo	Guadalcanal (sample)


Philippines	Okinawa Deployment

Melvin Wellen Rank Army Division/Group United States Army
examples	Wellen Photo
Marksman; Pistol Badge; (Appropriate medals for Melvin Wellen.)

References

(1) The World War II Army Enlistment Records contain information on more than nine million indivdual enlistments. These records can be found online at http://www.archives.gov

(3) The comprehensive list of names from North High's 1893-2018 graduation classes are from Claradell Shedd's North Des Moines High School website. The names of North High School graduates can be found online at: http://www.ndmhs.com/. Melvin Wellen's 1938 class page is: http://www.ndmhs.com/pages/yearclass1938(1988.50).html.

07/14/10: Died 04/22/08; Urbandale, IA.

Music: "Wind Beneath My Wings"