The year is 1968, and the Vietnam War has kicked into high gear. Negative reports abound and a deep sense of confusion seems to overtake the country. And a young man from Poplar Bluff finds himself flying a helicopter all over the country of Vietnam and sees the good and the bad of it all... and he’s only 20 years old.
Gary Melton was 19 and living in St. Louis in 1967. He had just landed a lucrative job with AT&T when he started to be concerned with the potential of being drafted.
“I really wanted to stay in communications,” Melton explained. “I went to the Air Force, and they said they didn’t have anything in communications. The Navy and the Marines said the same thing. So I went to the Army and they said they didn’t have anything, either; but the recruiter looked at me and asked, ‘How would you like to fly a helicopter?’”
Melton said he initially thought the recruiter was crazy for asking the question.
“I thought I knew, at that time, exactly what I wanted to do with my life,” Melton explained.
After considering his options, Melton reached out to a friend from Poplar Bluff name Billy Gulledge. After some conversation, both young men decided to enlist and go fly helicopters for the U.S. Army.
“They put us on a train and shipped us to Alexandria, Louisiana, and from there they shipped us to Fort Polk, which is also in Louisiana,” Melton said. “I eventually went to Fort Wolters, Texas, where I did my primary flight school.”
From there, Melton attended aviation school in Alabama, and by May 1968, he was in Vietnam, where he was assigned to the First Cavalry Division in An Khe, in the central highlands of the country.
“I just did my job,” Melton remarked. “I had good days and I had some bad days. They good days were actually pretty good. We don’t like to talk about the bad days.
“But Vietnam really is a beautiful country. I had the pleasure of being able to fly all over and see most of it from different areas. I never had any thought of not coming home. Really. And if I did, I don’t remember it.”
Melton went on to explain he flew numerous missions: single ship resupply missions, medivac missions, as well as scout missions and reconnaissance.
“My unit didn’t insert troops (into battle),” he explained. “That’s just about the only thing that we didn’t do.”
Melton maintained focus on doing his job and soon found himself returning to the U.S. in 1969.
“It’s interesting how things go in life,” Melton noted. “I came home in May 1969, met my wife in June, and we got married in September.”
After getting married, Melton finished his time in the Army as a flight instructor at the same location where he had been taught: Fort Wolters. At the young age of 22, Melton had achieved the rank of chief warrant officer II.
“They gave me an offer for a commission in order to get me to stay,” Melton noted. “But they couldn’t tell me where I was going to go for sure, or exactly what I would be doing.”
Melton passed on the opportunity and said goodbye to the Army. But he didn’t say goodbye to his fellow service members.
Worth it
Melton went on to work a full career with the U.S. Postal Service and retired as a post master. But during all of his post-military years, he has been very active in different veterans organizations. He’s a member of the Poplar Bluff chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America and regularly volunteers for fundraising events for the Wake Foundation and the Veterans Tour.
“I enjoyed what I was doing (in Vietnam) and I was good at it,” Melton remarked. “I learned that if you do what you’re supposed to do, and you do it well, the people will want to follow you. And I had plenty of men that wanted to work with me as a result.”
Melton grew quiet and when he spoke, his voice started to crack.
“That is why I say that no one wasted their time by going to Vietnam,” Melton said. “We were called to serve, and that’s what we did. Those who left this life, left a mark on me.”
Melton explained he has been to Washington, D.C. numerous times in the past several years, and he always goes to visit the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
“I have been there in the sunshine, the rain and the snow,” Melton noted. “And it’s always very emotional for me; but it’s also a healing experience.
“As long as we remember, and as long as we continue to tell their stories — then they’re going to be OK. As long as we remember and we don’t forget, part of them is still alive in us.”