Melvin Lindsley

Melvin J. Lindsley was born August 22, 1926, in Morrowville, Kansas, 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, California. 

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 December 7, 1941. After a brief overhaul at Pearl Harbor from October 8 to 24, 1944, the ship served on convoy duty between Guam and Eniwetok until mid-November. On 15 November, it conducted a hunter-killer patrol off Ponape, then fired a shore bombardment on Tanga Islands before returning to Eniwetok. Three days later, the ship 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 January 11, the ship remained in the Philippines on escort and patrol duties until February 28 when it cleared for Ulithi to join a convoy carrying garrison troops for Iwo Jima. The ship arrived off the island March 18, remaining there on patrol until March 27, when it sailed to escort transports to Eniwetok. The ship continued on to Pearl Harbor, arriving April 12 for repairs. Darby was training in the Hawaiian area when the war ended and on August 29, 1945, got underway for San Francisco, carrying servicemen eligible for discharge. After an overhaul Darby sailed for the East Coast, arriving to New York on December 15 and to New London, Connecticut, on January 8, 1946. Darby sailed and did training and exercises until 16 January 16, 1947, when she cleared for Charleston, South Carolina. Darby was placed out of commission in reserve there on April 28, 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