Melvin B. Fenn was born on November 16, 1947, in Clopton, AL. He was the ninth child of ten children born to John H. and Rosa B. Fenn. In 1956, the family moved north, making Morganville, NJ their home. Melvin went to Marlboro Township Public School and graduated from Freehold Regional High School in 1967. Melvin was a lover of basketball, the culinary arts, and singing in the church choir. His quiet manner and personality won the hearts of all who knew him.

Fenn enlisted in the US Army in February 1967, in California, where he had gone to
work. He completed basic training at Fort Bliss, TX. Fenn was later stationed at Fort Benning, GA, and Fort Campbell, KY, before going to Vietnam as a member of the 101st Airborne Division. He attained the rank of Private First Class (PFC).

In March 1968, the Fenn family received word that a search was in progress for Melvin Fenn, a missing soldier, who had been observed washing clothes on the bank of a stream on March 6, 1968, when he apparently fell in.

A subsequent telegram informed them that Fenn had drowned and that the body had
been recovered and positively identified. Mrs. Fenn said that her son could swim.

Sources: Mollie F. Graham (sister), Calvin Fenn (brother), and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024