Persian Gulf War Veteran

Thelma Mellin

Interviewed by:

Leah Baker and Liam Randall

Mellin in Battle Dress Uniform, 1992

Mellin School Photo, 2016

" ... treat everyone the same. I mean, don’t look at what’s on the exterior first,

look at what they have inside their heart and trust that they can do a job. "

~ Thelma Mellin (06:53)

Name:
Thelma Mellin

Date of Birth:
1961

Branch of Service:
US Air Force

Dates of Service:
1983 - 1995

Location of Military Service:

Vandenberg AFB, CA
RAF Mildenhall, UK
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH

Residence at Time of Interview:
Bourne, MA

Google Document

Thelma Mellin's Story:

Thelma Mellin’s military journey started off as a way to get into University without too much of a cost. She had applied to ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) in high school and was awarded the choice of Army or Air Force. Because her father previously served in the military, he encouraged her to join the Air Force. Another one of the major factors was that it paid for her education.

In 1983, she started her service as Second Lieutenant. She worked as a Civil Engineer, and she trained other men and women. Although she was never deployed in any war zone, she still served in the Persian Gulf War, engineering and training many men and women who later went on to serve in war zones. Overall, she believes that she had a pleasant experience in the military. Her scariest moment was witnessing the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on live television.

She had seen many of the tests at Vandenberg AFB, which connected her to the event. She says an advantage of being in the military was the ability for her to travel frequently. At one point, she was stationed at RAF Mildenhall in England, and she had the chance to take part in a refueling mission of the SR-71, an event she was eager to experience, and a memory that she still cherishes. She also served at Vandenberg AFB in California, and Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio, two sites she also loved.

One huge highlight for her was meeting her husband while they were both serving in the Air Force, and moving to Cape Cod while he was stationed there.

Mrs. Mellin now works as a teacher at Bourne Middle School after separating from the military in 1995. In her 8th Grade class, she still uses some of the learning experiences she gained while serving, such as a method where the students line up by height, much like the way she did for military parades.