Remembering Norm Melander

1st Lieutenant Norm Melander, 1917 - 1951

Recently, we were informed that the North Korean government had returned the remains of 55 individuals that may include some American MIAs from the Korean conflict that ended almost exactly 65 years ago, on July 27, 1953.  Although this announcement was a follow-up to the President's recent meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, it follows a long trail of exchanges of remains of individuals killed in that "Forgotten War."  According to the DoD's POW/MIA Accounting Command Website,
     "During Operation Glory in 1954, North Korea returned the remains of more than 3,000 Americans.  Concurrently, U.S. Graves Registration teams recovered remains from South Korean battlefields.  The U.S. identified thousands of these remains.  In 1956, a total of 848 that could not be identified were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl.  Others were added later as unknowns.  One of the unknowns was interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
     The Army Graves Registrations teams searched the battlefields in the Republic of Korea (ROK) from 1951 to 1956.  Today, DoD investigates losses in South Korea with the assistance of U.S. forces in Korea and the ROK government.
     From 1990 to 1994, North Korea exhumed and returned 208 boxes of remains.  However, DoD scientists estimate that as many as 400 individuals could be represented in these 208 boxes.
     Between July 1996, and May 2005, the Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii (CILHI) and JPAC, which is now part of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, conducted 33 Joint Field Activities (JFAs) in North Korea, which recovered more than 220 sets of remains, which are currently being processed for identification at JPAC in Hawaii.  On May 25, 2005, the U.S. temporarily suspended JFAs in North Korea due to security concerns."

Wikipedia informs us that, "Between 1982 and 2016 there were 781 unknown remains recovered from North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, and Punchbowl Cemetery in Hawaii,[55] of which a total of 459 have been identified as of June 2018."

The numbers of total MIAs and KIAs in Korea are staggering.  The total number of MIAs and POWs that never returned is estimated by the Pentagon as between 4,193 and 5,246, depending on which sources are used in the estimate.

One of the MIAs, later assumed to be Killed in Action, was 1st Lieutenant Norman Albert Melander, of Ballston Spa, New York.  Norm was a close friend of our family before leaving for Korea, never to return.  As I have stated many times in this blog, my father was a dentist.  For many years, his dental hygienist was a young lady named Claire Tracy.  Claire married Norm Melander in 1950, shortly before he was notified that he was recalled to active duty.  Norm had served in World War II and had remained in the Army Reserve after the war.

My personal bond to Norm was heightened on Christmas day of 1949.  I had asked for a puppet theater for Christmas.  My parents knew that Norm, who was then engaged to Claire Tracy, was a skilled woodworker.  They hired him to make me a puppet stage and he certainly delivered.  I received a magnificent puppet theater with dimmable lights, operating curtains and a beautifully creative paint job.  It was way beyond what anyone envisioned.  I treasured that gift for many, many years.  I was only 10 years old when "Uncle Norm" left for Korea, but I remember it well.  Claire was expecting their first child when he left.  Their daughter was born in July, 1951.  Norm and his daughter Christine never got to meet each other.

There is a Web-based group called the Korean War Project that attempts to gather information on MIA/KIA/POWs and to locate descendants to gather DNA for future identification of remains.  According to this Website, Norm was a member of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, A Company, 1st Battalion.  He was a Bronze Star recipient for valor.  His date of loss is given as October 12, 1951.  He was killed on Hill 287 in the Chorwon area.

In October, 2010, a gentleman named Ted Barker posted a tribute to Norm on the Korean War Project site.  He posted an extract from the book, Of Garryowen in Glory - History of the 7th US Cavalry, by Lt Col Melbourne Chandler, US Army, 1960.  The pages cited specifically pertain to Operation Commando when the 8th Army attacked the Chinese Army to push it back north of to the original 38th Parallel which was the border between North and South Korea at the end of WWII.  Mr. Barker included an editorial comment by Retired Col David Hughes, 7th Cav Rgt:

"(From October 8th, 1951) The 1st Battalion, at 0900 hours, against violent resistance, took the dominating unnumbered hill overlooking Hill 287.  The battalion became a deep salient into the enemy line-a threat the enemy was determined to remove.

At 0045 hours on October 9th, the enemy unleashed a devastating barrage of mortars, rockets and artillery, followed by a two-battalion mass attack on the battered 1st Battalion.  The 1st Battalion was ordered to withdraw into a tight perimeter and to hold.  After one hour of savage fighting the furiously attacking enemy had driven in a portion of Company B. A fast moving, slashing attack was unleashed by the yelling troopers from Company A who quickly restored the Company B sector and the situation began to improve.

Throughout this period Company C was heavily engaged but stubbornly held their ground.  Although this savage attack had continued for almost seven hours this battered battalion managed to retain its position, despite the fact that at times both the enemy and the Garry Owens shared the same trenches.

At 0239 on October 12th, Companies A and B came under attack, and by 0300 hours the entire 1st Battalion was attacked simultaneously, disrupting all communications. Under a wall of intense mortar and artillery fire, followed closely by a grenade throwing fanatical enemy battalion, the enemy finally overran two companies of the 1st Battalion and forced them from their most advanced positions back to the dominating hill overlooking Hill 287.

(Col Hughes NOTE: In my judgment, this is the night action when the 1st Battalion was overrun on Hill 287 by overwhelming Chinese numbers, and 1st Lt Melander was lost)

The 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry under the operational control of the 7th Cavalry then relieved the 1st Battalion on this dominating position.  The 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, then moved to Division reserve and remained there until October 25th.

October 13th saw the end of the attack phase for the 7th Cavalry.

During the first ten days of the attack, the 7th Cavalry took all objectives assigned.  It fought successfully against four enemy regiments and inflicted 65 enemy casualties per hour for an unrelenting ten days.  Only the fighting heart and the Garry Owen spirit maintained the aggressive attitude of the riflemen against the great odds of terrain and massive enemy numbers. Only magnificent leadership held units intact after the heavy casualties and continuous enemy bombardment."

Norm Melander defended his nation valiantly.  I can only hope that one day, his remains may be returned, identified, and properly buried where his descendants can pay their proper tribute.