Short Biography: Melvin Louis Brown

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Melvin Louis Brown was born February 2, 1931 in the small northeastern borough of Mahaffey, Pennsylvania. Melvin was born to Edward and Rhonda Brown, and was one of their ten children. Melvin was the second youngest of four boys, with six sisters of varying ages, one of which, Martha, who died at a very young age. As a boy growing up in Mahaffey his hobbies were typical of what one might expect from someone growing up in a town with a population of less than 700. Melvin was a lover of all things outdoors, skiing, ice-skating, fishing, and swimming were all among his favorite pastimes as recalled by his sister Martha Rich. In the evening, when he wasn’t doing these things it was not uncommon to find him sitting under the moonlight on a hill …show more content…
It is unclear why Melvin would do this because this was a solitary and personal time for him, but he was most likely dreaming about a life beyond Mahaffey as any young man who had aspirations to achieve something great would be doing. Melvin was unsatisfied with small town life, and was determined to make a difference. He told his sister that he was going to be like Douglas MacArthur, the famous General that fought in both of the World Wars. In World War II General MacArthur was famously known for his campaigns in the Pacific and in Asia, a place where Melvin would soon have his own mettle tested.
Having the desire to walk in a General’s shoes can quickly lead a man to become unsatisfied with the pedestrian life of small town USA, which is exactly what happened to Melvin Brown. A lack of satisfaction can sometimes cause a young man seek

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