Brundy Taylor Melvin

Brundy was born February 27, 1924, in Cumberland County, NC. He grew up in Fayetteville, NC and was a graduate of Fayetteville High School. While in school was a delivery boy on a paper route and also achieved the rank of Eagle scout. After high school, he attended Mars Hill College and North Carolina State before enlisting on December 1, 1942.

Brundy joined the 118th while it was in Suichuan in late 1944 or early 1945. In March 1945, he transferred to the 29th Fighter Squadron (Chinese-American Composite Wing). On May 15, 1945, he participated in a straffing and bombing mission at Kweiyi, China. On his third straffing run, he was hit by ground fire in the engine. He left the area and ten minutes later his engine began smoking and he had to bail out. After a nineteen day walkout with the help of the Chinese, he returned to base.

Lt Melvin remained in the Army after the war ended. On December 9, 1947, Brundy was a passenger on an Army Air Transport Command C-54 in Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada. The plane lost power and crashed with twenty-nine men on board. Brundy was one of twenty-three men to die in the crash. He was twenty-three years old.