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Airman First Class Bessie (Bess) Lee Melvin

An older woman with short, blonde hair and glasses is smiling into the camera.
  • Unit: 32nd Air Division
  • Date of Birth: January 25, 2003
  • Entered the Military: February 3, 1953
  • Date of Death: October 6, 2022
  • Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia
  • Place of Death: Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • Award(s): National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal
  • Cemetery: CB 10, Row 2, Site 9. Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, Suffolk, Virginia
Contributed by Annalise Barlow
Mentored by Mr. Wesley Young
Camden County High School (Camden, North Carolina)
2024/2025

Early Life

Bessie Lee Melvin was the fourth of five children, born January 25, 1933, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Clifton and Bettie Melvin. She received her education locally, attending both Oceana High School and Old Dominion University. While at Old Dominion University, she was a finalist in the Maid of Cotton Contest, a pageant which provided winners with the opportunity to become fashion ambassadors for cotton in an all-expenses-paid trip around America. 

A snippet of the 1940 Census showing Bessie, her two siblings and parents.
The 1940 Census shows Bessie, her two siblings, and her parents. Another sister, Betty Anne, was born after this census. National Archives and Records Administration.
Four young women are sitting on a bench in a fenced-in yard. They are all dressed in skirts and blouses.
Bessie Melvin (second to left) as a finalist of the Maid of Cotton Contest, January 21, 1956. Old Dominion University Libraries.

Homefront

Residents of Virginia experienced numerous changes within their communities from the 1940s to the 1950s. The 1950s are generally regarded as “the postwar boom.” Beginning in 1946, this boom affected many areas of life, including the economy, residential development, and birth rates. 

Virginia also underwent changes during this period due to technological advancements that transformed harbor facilities in Norfolk and military facilities in Virginia Beach. The Virginia Beach community and its surrounding areas were heavily involved in wartime manufacturing during the Korean War, notably in the creation, repair, conversion, and alteration of naval vessels. Many military installations within the community were expanded as a result of the Korean War. The Virginia Beach area houses a military airfield called the Naval Air Station Oceana, a master jet base proposed after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The city of Norfolk is also home to the United States Navy’s oldest shipyard—the Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Naval Sea Systems Command).

A drawn, colored postcard of several residential apartment buildings.
A glimpse into 1950s Virginia Beach infrastructure. Virginia Beach History.
A black and white image of several planes lined up at an airbase.
Naval Air Station Oceana, 1955. Norfolk Public Library.
An aerial black and white photograph of several ships along multiple docks.
Shipyard at Norfolk Naval Base, June 1957. Naval History and Heritage Command (NH 96120).

Military Experience

Melvin enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on February 3, 1953, in Alexandria, Virginia. She received military training at both F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming and Fort Slocum in New York. She served as an airman first class, and her work in logistics played a pivotal role in supporting the United States during the Korean War. 

Although she was not deployed outside the United States, her efforts transcended domestic borders, enabling successful military operations to be carried out. Her responsibilities included transmitting communications between air, naval, and ground forces, assessing tactical situations, and managing information. During her service, she was awarded both the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. 

Towards the end of the Korean War and immediately after, Melvin served on active duty with the 32nd Air Division at the Syracuse Air Station.

An aerial black and white photograph of a small island with a military compound.
Fort Slocum, New York, where First Class Airman Melvin received military training, November 15, 1961. Davids Island – Fort Slocum Historical Documentation.
An aerial view of the base with a formation of troops in the foreground (front left) and the expansive quartermaster training facilities in the background.
An aerial view of the F.E. Warren Air Force Base. F.E. Warren ICBM Heritage Museum.

Veteran Experience

Melvin left the military on February 2, 1956. After her service, she returned to her hometown and worked as an English teacher at Maury High School. Melvin married Wade Hampton Williams, Jr. in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on August 24, 1963. The two did not have any children together. By March of 1966, they divorced. 

In addition to her long career as an English teacher, Melvin also trained as a massage therapist.

She was actively involved in her community in various ways. She attended services at Tabernacle United Methodist Church and made charitable donations to local organizations, such as Lee’s Friends, which offers support to cancer patients and their families. She was described as a kind and generous person who used her voice to advocate for equality. 

Taken from a high school yearbook. A headshot of a young woman with short hair and wearing a cardigan.
Bess Melvin as an English teacher at Maury High School in 1963.

Commemoration

Melvin passed away on October 6, 2022. She is buried at Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, Virginia.

Her legacy lives on through her character, contributions, and sacrifices.

Melvin rests at the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, Virginia. Find a Grave.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Bess Lee Melvin, DD-214, Department of the Air Force. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

“Bess Lee Melvin.” Legacy. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/pilotonline/name/bess-melvin-obituary?id=36810809. 

Bess Lee Melvin. Maury High School Senior Yearbook, 1963. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Bess Lee Melvin. Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-2014. https://ancestryclassroom.com/.

Bess Lee Melvin. Virginia, Marriage Records, 1936-2014.  https://ancestryclassroom.com/.

“Bess Lee Melvin.” The Virginian Pilot [Hampton Roads, VA], October 18, 2022. https://www.pilotonline.com/obituaries/bess-lee-melvin-portsmouth-va-3/.

Documentation of Contributing Elements Fort Slocum Historic and Archeological District Davids Island, City of New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York. Department of the Army. May 2008. http://davidsisland.westchesterarchives.com/index.php/archive/downloads/doc_files/Slocum_Archit_Doc_v1_pt1_05-2008.pdf. 

International Naval Review, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 8-17 June 1957. Photograph. June 1957. Naval History and Heritage Command (NH 96120). https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-96000/NH-96120.html. 

Maid of Cotton Finalists. Photograph. January 21, 1956. Old Dominion University Photographic and Multimedia Collection, Old Dominion University Libraries. https://olddomuni.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_9cbff2db-e7a2-46ad-be12-b857c06da32a/. 

Oceana Naval Air Station – Virginia Beach, Virginia. Photograph. August 16, 1955. Virginian-Pilot Photograph Collection, Norfolk Public Library. http://smcdigital.norfolkpubliclibrary.org/digital/collection/p15987coll9/id/177/. 

Virginia. Princess Anne County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital Image. https://ancestryclassroom.com/. 

Virginia. Princess Anne County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital Image. https://ancestryclassroom.com/. 

Secondary Sources

“Bess L. Melvin.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed March 5, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/BESSLMELVIN/a1de42.  

“Bess Lee Melvin.” Find a Grave. Updated November 14, 2023. Accessed March 5, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/261514004/bess-lee-melvin.  

“Command and Control Specialists.” ASVAB Career Exploration Program. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://www.asvabprogram.com/occufind-occupation-details/55-3015.00. 

Geier, Clarence R., Wd. The Historical Archaeology of Virginia From Initial Settlement to the Present: Overview and New Directions. Richmond: Virginia Department of Historic Resources, 2017. https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Historical-Archaeology-of-Virginia-From-Initial-Settlement-to-the-Present.pdf.

“The History of Fort D.A. Russell and F.E. Warren Air Force Base.” F.E. Warren Air Force Base. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://www.warren.af.mil/About-Us/Base-History/. 

“Information Management Career Field.” 119th Wing. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://www.119wg.ang.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/442531/information-management-career-field/.  

“Naval Sea Systems Command.” U.S. Navy. Accessed November 9, 2024. https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Shipyards/Norfolk/About-Us/History/.   

“Neighborhood Histories.” City of Norfolk, Virginia. Accessed October 22, 2024. https://www.norfolk.gov/680/Neighborhood-Histories. 

“1950s.” Virginia Beach History. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://www.virginiabeachhistory.org/1950s. 

“The 1950s ‑ American Culture & Society.” HISTORY. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/1950s.

“1924 to Present: Made in Virginia.” Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://virginiahistory.org/learn/story-of-virginia/chapter/made-virginia.

“Virginia Beach: A Brief History.” Virginia Beach Brief. Accessed November 9, 2024. https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/virginia-beach-departments-docs/planning/Comprehensive-Plan/Comp-Plan-2040-Update/Virginia-Beach-Brief-History.pdf. 

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.