Melvin J. Lindsley was born August 22, 1926 in Morrowville, KS to Clifford and Blanche (Jones) Lindsley. He graduated from Morrowville High School and entered the Navy in August of 1944 in Kansas City with service #3432026. Lindsley served on the USS Darby in the Pacific Theater.  Lindsley told his family that part of his job on the ship was to catch the shells after the large guns shot at the enemy. Lindsley also served on the USS Leonard F. Mason. Lindsley was discharged from the service at USNRS San Diego, CA. He returned home, married Martha Burke and they lived in Haddam, Kansas. They had three children. The USS Darby was named in honor of Ensign Marshall E. Darby (1918–1941), who fell overboard, while serving aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.  After a brief overhaul at Pearl Harbor from October 8 to 24 1944, she served on convoy duty between Guam and Eniwetok until mid-November. On 15 November, she conducted a hunter-killer patrol off Ponape, then fired a shore bombardment on Tanga Islands before returning to Eniwetok. Three days later, she sailed by way of Kwajalein, Guadalcanal, and Manus for exercises in Milne Bay, New Guinea from 7 to 26 December in preparation for the Lingayen assault. Darby sortied from Manus on 2 January 1945 screening transports to Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, to reinforce the troops there. Arriving 11 January, she remained in the Philippines on escort and patrol duties until 28 February when she cleared for Ulithi to join a convoy carrying garrison troops for Iwo Jima. She arrived off the island 18 March, remaining there on patrol until 27 March when she sailed to escort transports to Eniwetok. She continued on to Pearl Harbor, arriving 12 April for repairs. Darby was training in the Hawaiian area when the war ended and on 29 August 1945 got underway for San Francisco, carrying servicemen eligible for discharge. After an overhaul she sailed for the east coast, arriving at New York on 15 December and at New London, Connecticut on 8 January 1946. She sailed did training and exercises until 16 January 1947 when she cleared for Charleston, South Carolina. Darby was placed out of commission in reserve there on 28 April 1947.  From 1947 to 1950, the USS Mason completed two cruises in the western Pacific, as well as stateside operations.

Courtesy fold3.com, wikipedia.com, WWII Draft Board Records Kansas