Melvin T. Windham was born in Sabine Parish, Louisiana on October 16th, 1922 to E. Laurie Windham and Nancy Zelma Squires Windham. His father was a laborer and farmer as many were in those years and the census records show he was part of a large family with six brothers and sisters. When Melvin was about 13 the family moved to Shelby County, Texas and lived on Sardis Road in Precinct 2. Military induction records show him completing 3 years of high school, probably at Shelbyville High.

Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, 7th Cavalry Regimental Crossed Swords, Combat Infantryman Badge, Private First Class Stripe, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars & two Arrowheads (Landing Assaults), World War II Victory Medal

Buried in the Sardis Cemetery, Shelby County, Texas
On December 11th, 1942 he joined the US Army and found himself assigned to that famous 7th Cavalry Regiment that met its demise at the Battle of the Little Bighorn under Lieutenant Colonel George Custer. The 7th Cavalry actually continued to train as a horse cavalry unit right up to World War II but was dismounted on February 28th, 1943 and prepared for deployment to the Pacific as part of the 1st Cavalry Division. PFC Windham and the 7th departed San Francisco on June 26, 1943 and arrived in Australia on July 11, 1943 for combat training and then participated in the New Guinea Campaign. From there they also participated in the Bismarck Archipelago Campaign and moved by landing craft to Los Negros Island on March 4th, 1944 to reinforce units in the Admiralty Islands Campaign. The 7th moved on to secure Hauwei Island and continued towards the Philippines in the Leyte Campaign that started on October 17th, 1944. The unit was pulled from that campaign as they were needed in Luzon. Deploying again by landing craft, the 7th Cavalry made its second assault landing at Luzon on January 27th, 1945 where the regiment engaged the enemy until the end of the Luzon campaign on Independence Day, July 4th, 1945.

During that fighting on Luzon, Private First Class Melvin T. Windham was killed in action three days after Easter on Wednesday, April 4th, 1945 at the age of 23. At the time of his death he was buried in an American Cemetery in the Philippines. His remains were returned by train to Shelby County, Texas on Saturday morning, November 6th, 1948 with a military escort. Mangum Funeral Home transported the remains to the family home near Shelbyville and PFC Windham was buried at two p.m. the next day, Sunday, November 7th in the Sardis Cemetery. The Champion newspaper reported his surviving relatives as parents, Mr. & Mrs. Laurie Windham; two brothers Chas. T. and Donald Windham of Shelbyville; four sisters, Annie Ruth, Sallie, Doris Jean and Shirley Ann; paternal grandmother, Mrs. Sallie Windham of Patroon; maternal grandfather, James H. Squires of Shelbyville.

A little over a month after his death the war would be over in Europe and five months later the Japanese would formally surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. During World War II Melvin T. Windham honored his country with service and sacrifice – today we honor him. “The battle’s over and peace is all around you, sleep soldier boy sleep on”.

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