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Heroes Among Us
Advent Christian Village is honored to have roughly 120 veterans of the armed forces living within the community. Two of Dowling Park’s outstanding men are WWII veterans who have received the Purple Heart.
Edgar Melton served in the Army for three years, eventually earning the rank of Technician 5th Grade. He served in the 749th Tank Battalion. His outfit served in Europe at the height of the conflict. In fact, he was supposed to be at Normandy during the invasion of Omaha Beach, but his outfit had to hold back for some of their equipment to arrive. Melton states that he believes the delay saved his life. On June 10, 1945, however, he was part of a tank convoy that was traveling through Langenburg, Germany when enemy planes began strafing his convoy. Melton raised up to close the hatch on his tank just as a bomb exploded in a building nearby. Shrapnel from the blast went into his head and right hand. His wounds were not life threatening, but they earned him a 6-week stay in a hospital in England. When he was well, he returned to his battalion and remained with them until the end of the war. Along with the Purple Heart, Melton also earned the Bronze Star and a Good Conduct medal. 
Albert Walker served in the Army for 3 years in the 195th Field Artillery Battalion. He also served in Europe, and earned the rank of Technician 5th Class. Walker was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. On January 1, 1945, he was stationed in Ardennes, Belgium, where his outfit was attached to the First Army, under the command of British General Bernard Montgomery. The battalion’s orders were to hold the bridge to facilitate the delivery of supplies. Part of Walker’s duty was communications. He and five other men were working in a communications bunker, when German self-propelled guns came through and fired rounds into the bunker. Walker took a shell splinter in his right leg. Three of his comrades were also wounded, two of whom died. The injured men were transported to an aide station and then to a field hospital three hours away. From the field hospital, Walker was sent to Paris and then moved again to England for recovery. When able, he rejoined his battalion and remained with them for the rest of the war. Walker also earned a Good Conduct medal for his tour of duty.