Byers, Melvin John
Army Private 1st class

Melvin John Byers, age 21, from Tustin, Michigan, Osceola county.

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Tustin High (1964)
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, February 6, 1968
Death details: Hostile, died of wounds suffered January 25, 1968, South Vietnam. Bronze Star citation: For heroism in connection with military operations against an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. Private First Class Byers distinguished himself while serving as a Rifleman with Company D, 1/35th Infantry. On 25 January 1968, Company D was conducting a search and destroy mission a few miles north of LZ Baldy. Private First Class Byers and several comrades volunteered to guard a group of civilian-clothed enemy suspects detained during the mission. Suddenly one of the suspects started running towards a nearby village. Concerned for the safety of his comrades, Private First Class Byers chose to pursue the fleeing suspect rather then fire at him. As he reached the thick underbrush where the suspect sought cover, Private First Class Byers tripped a well-concealed booby trap, mortally wounding the suspect and seriously wounding himself. Although evacuated immediately, he later succumbed to his wounds. Private First Class Byers’ concern for the welfare and safety of his comrades, quick thinking, and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Cemetery: Burdwell Township Cemetery, Osceola County

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association