Interview, Raymond Melens, USMC

Raymond Melens (b. 1950) was born in Rochester, New York. He graduated from Greece Arcadia High School in 1968 and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He completed basic training at Paris Island, South Carolina, and his advanced infantry training at Camp Geiger in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He attended jungle school at Camp Pendleton, in California, and specialized as a cook. He was sent to Vietnam in early 1969, landing first in Okinawa, Japan, and then Da Nang, Vietnam, where he was immediately wounded in a rocket and mortar attack. Melens was in the service for 11 months and was honorably discharged due to medical concerns in June 1969. He worked a variety of jobs after leaving the Marines and ultimately retired from industrial sales.

In this interview, Melens explains that soldiers were often told not to salute their superior officers in Vietnam because it singled them out as targets to be shot at. He tells a story about a Commanding Officer who demanded that he be saluted and ended up being killed soon afterward. He also recounts the story of discovering that he had a bad back and how this led to his early discharge from the military. Melens shares that it was a shock to go from Vietnam to America in such a short time and that he initially struggled with anger and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but was able to get help. He reports on his involvement with the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 20, where he has served in a number of different roles.