Marvin J. Schmelzer
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
Marvin J. Schmelzer served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy.
He joined the Navy on December 7, 1942, and was sent to Farragut, Idaho, for basic training. He then went to San Diego, California, for Service School for Carpentry and Patternmaking. Mr. Schmelzer was then sent overseas to Ile Nou, New Caledonia, where he was assigned to a naval repair station servicing the 3rd Fleet.
He was discharged on February 6, 1946. Mr. Schmelzer’s rank was Patternmaker 2nd Class.
He was decorated with the Good Conduct Medal.
Mr. Schmelzer was born in Brainerd, Minnesota, in 1932. He is the son of Roy and Goldie Schmelzer. He graduated from Brainerd High School.
Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall veteran history form; veteran’s family’s account (below):
“Marvin enlisted in the Navy in December 1942. He went to Farragut, Idaho, for basic training, then to San Diego, California, for service school for carpentry and patternmaking. He was then sent to New Caledonia in the South Pacific. He served on a naval repair base located on the nearby island of Ile Nou, a former French army base.
“The Naval Repair Base at Ile Nou serviced the 3rd Fleet, which included the USS Enterprise, an aircraft carrier, and the USS Robinson, a destroyer ship. Shortly after the USS Robinson left Ile Nou, they were engaged in battle in the South Pacific. The ship was rammed by a Japanese cruiser and all crew was lost.”
