Private Melvin Courson Jr. was born on April 21, 1923 in Bagdad, Florida the son of Melvin Courson Sr. and Ara Zonia "Arizona" Willis who were married in 1905 in Covington County, AL. Her father was a farmer in Covington while Melvin came from Douglass, GA. Most of Melvin's early life was spent in Bagdad with his parents who owned and ran a cafe. However, by 1936, his father had passed away and Melvin and his mother was still living alone in Bagdad. By 1940, his mother had remarried Ernest Anderson who was able to support his new family as a millwright at one of the local sawmills. The following year, Melvin was working as the Ingall's Shipyard in Pascagoula, MS when World War II began. As duty called, Melvin enlisted in the US Army on April 15, 1943 and was sent to Camp Blanding, Florida for processing and orientation. Melvin would survive the war after his wounding and recovery. He moved north after the war and married Heidi Bisceglia in Manhattan, NY in 1982
The second Miltonian wounded was PFC Rex Costello Davis who was born on April 26, 1925, the son of Ovie Lee Boles (1900-1982) and Hugh C. Davis (1899-1935). Rex was one of six children born to his parents with his siblings listed as Edna E., Sarah E., Hubert L., George F., and Cullen B. Davis. His father was a farmer in Madison Parish, LA in 1930 and five years later moved to Samson in Geneva County, AL and continued farming. There, he would pass away on April 18, 1935. By 1940, Ovie had moved to Santa Rosa County and was being partially supported by her son Hubert who worked as a carpenter. Three years later, her son Rex had joined the work force working in the tar pits for Jim Cobb in Milton. When the war began, he enlisted in the US Army on July 14, 1942 and was discharged for whatever reason one month later on August 12, 1942. However, he reenlisted on July 2, 1943 and given the time and place of his wounding it was most likely fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. He survived the war and was discharged from the Army on November 11, 1948. He would pass away on 6-29-1999 and was buried at Barrancas National Cemetery.
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