Words of appreciation special for 84-year-old veteran

Veterans Day

What: Wreath-laying ceremony

Where: New Bern National Cemetery, 1711 National Ave.

When: 1:30 p.m. today

More information: Pledge of Allegiance, singing of the National Anthem and remarks by veterans. Robert Eaves, the husband of Gov. Bev Purdue, will read the names of soldiers from the First Congressional District who have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., will be the guest speaker.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Melvin Driver was like most Americans — shocked and angry.

When President Franklin Roosevelt gave his famous “a date which will live in infamy” call-to-war speech, Driver was inspired, but was also left feeling helpless. He was only 16.

“I told my mother that when I turned 17, I wanted her to sign for me so I could go in,” recalled the now 84-year-old veteran who served through World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

He’ll be at the annual Craven Veterans Service luncheon today and then go to the New Bern National Cemetery for a 1 p.m. wreath-laying ceremony. He hopes there are more than just veterans in the crowd.

“We World War II veterans, we are leaving the scene in numbers,” he said of the many veterans who die of old age each day. “But I’d just like for people to remember that we are still kicking and we appreciate people saying thank you for serving. I do that for those on active duty now. I say thank you, because without them, we would be in deep trouble.”

He left his Griffin, Ga., home on his birthday in November 1942, and soon he was aboard an aircraft carrier going through the Panama Canal headed for the South Pacific Ocean.

He was an officer’s steward and manned a 20 mm machine gun.

“You name it and we ran into it,” he said of the war action. “Tell me when we didn’t come under fire, but we were able to always fight them off.”

Once his tour on the ship was over, it was struck by a kamikaze pilot.

“If I had still been there, I wouldn’t be here today,” he said.

He decided to remain in service after the war, going on inactive reserves for a time, before his unit was reactivated on standby for the conflict in Korea. It was then that he decided the military was his career.

His duty stations throughout the 1950s and 1960s were varied, from New Jersey and Virginia to Washington state and Midway Island.

With the coming of the Vietnam War, he again headed into the conflict, this time aboard a ship in the Mecon Delta, deployed as support for the Ninth Army.

It was a different kind of warfare.

“The enemy had a habit of wanting to send out divers and put mines on the hull of our ships,” he said. “They tried, but we set up a percussion watch.”

He explained that explosives were dropped overboard every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day to ward off enemy divers.

He met and married his first wife, Marian, in 1946 and they had four sons and a daughter. She passed away in 1987.

He had retired from the Navy in 1974 at a naval torpedo station in Washington state, where he continued to live.

At age 50, he completed his education at a community college, while working full time for a credit union. After 10 years, he rose to assistant comp controller.

He also did some part-time work in retail and for hotels, before deciding to officially retire about 1990.

“I said I think I will retire,” he laughed. “After 50 years, I had enough work.”

He met his current wife Lorraine while visiting Minnesota several years ago and they moved to New Bern in 2005 after a visit here to see his daughter and her husband, a retired Cherry Point Marine.

He’s active in the Disabled American Veterans group and the VFW and does volunteer work for the Red Cross.

Today, he’ll gather with other veterans to reflect on days past.

While he appreciates the comments of gratitude, he said there is a greater significance.

“I just don’t want them to forget why we served,” he added. “Don’t forget why we served — to protect this country.”

Charlie Hall can be reached at 252-635-5667 or chall@freedomenc.com.