Melvin Gainer, Jr.
Melvin Gainer, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Melvin Gainer, Jr. |
| Nickname(s) | Gainer the Gunner |
| Born | March 2, 1920 Richwood, West Virginia |
| Died | February 1, 2003 (aged 82) Memphis, Tennessee |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Army |
| Unit | 2nd Infantry 10th Infantry 11th Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Utah Beach Normandy landings Battle of Metz Battle of the Bulge[1] |
| Awards | Silver Star Bronze Star Purple Heart Croix DeGuerre from France Croix DeGuerre from Belgium two Presidential citations |
Rev. Dr. Melvin Gainer, Jr. (March 2, 1920 – February 1, 2003) [2] was a U.S. Army soldier who served during World War II. He is known for being a highly-decorated scout for General George S. Patton and for serving as the mayor of Dexter, Missouri.
Gainer joined the U.S. Army on December 7, 1940, a year to the day before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Before joining active combat, he served at Iceland, England, and Ireland. According to Gainer, Patton selected him as his scout as he was an expert rifleman and an Army volunteer. Gainer served in the 2nd, 10th, and 11th infantries. He was one of the first 240 soldiers to head into enemy territory during the Battle of the Bulge and was one of only 39 of these soldiers to survive. On March 15, 1945, he was shot in the hip near the Rhine River and spent the rest of the war in England. After the war, he worked for General Eisenhower in Versailles, cleaning his office.[3]
Gainer earned two doctorate degrees from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. He also worked as a self-employed jeweler for more than 40 years and in the 1960s served as the mayor of Dexter, Missouri, where he founded a Baptist church. Gainer passed away at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2003.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Veterans Day activities planned in area to pay tribute". Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau, Missouri. November 9, 1998.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Melvin Gainer". 2003-02-03. Retrieved 2014-11-03.
- ↑ "Patton's last scout". Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. September 2, 2002.
External links[edit]
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- 1920 births
- 2003 deaths
- American jewellers
- American military personnel of World War II
- Baptists from the United States
- Mayors of places in Missouri
- Operation Overlord people
- People from Stoddard County, Missouri
- Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal
- Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (Belgium)
- Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)
- Recipients of the Purple Heart medal
- Recipients of the Silver Star
- Southern Baptists
- Southern Baptist ministers
- Southwest Baptist University alumni
- United States Army soldiers
