Hero of the Heartland

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Melvin “Bud” Biddle
Hero of the Heartland

By Jerry Delano Cunningham

At first glance, 77 year-old Melvin Biddle wouldn’t fit today’s typecast of a hero. He’s not an athlete, nor has he ever appeared on MTV. Melvin lives a quiet life much like other retired men his age. Known as “Bud” by his friends and family, he enjoys golf and playing cards at the American Legion. In the spring he enjoys tending to the roses in his yard. He’s a family man, married to the same gal for 55 years. Melvin and Leona Biddle raised two daughters and have been blessed with eleven grandchildren. On occasion his grandchildren come over for a backyard cookout. Steaks are the meal of choice when Grandpa does the cooking.

However, there is something that sets Melvin off from other men his age. He dedicates some of his time to signing autograph requests and gives occasional keynote addresses at ceremonial dinners. He has been the Grand Marshal of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. He has an open invitation to attend any future Presidential Inauguration. He has met with numerous State Governors, U. S. Senators and four U.S. Presidents who have expressed their admiration for him. Even though he left the U.S. Army nearly sixty years ago as a lowly Corporal, Generals have saluted him. Despite all of this, Melvin Biddle isn’t wealthy and isn’t a household name. What makes this man unique? Melvin “Bud” Biddle of Anderson, Indiana, is one of only 150 living Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and the only recipient living in Indiana. Melvin Biddle has the distinction of being one of the highest decorated Hoosiers during the World War II. Also he is a recipient of the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Sagamore of the Wabash.

The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration given to an American soldier. The medal is given to those that have displayed incredible valor in defense of our nation. Only Congress and the President of the United States can bestow the decoration. During World War II only 463 of the 17 million men and women who served were recipients, and more than half of them lost their lives during their acts of heroism. The Congressional Medal of Honor has remained free of politics and social status; sons of Presidents and sharecroppers alike have been recipients.

Seventy-four Hoosiers have been decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor since its inception during the Civil War. Today only two of those 74 are living. They are Melvin “Bud” Biddle (World War II) and Sammy Davis (Vietnam) who resides in Illinois. Only eight men from Indiana were recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor during World War II. Three of the eight Hoosiers were decorated posthumously, and three have died since the War.

It is rare to meet with a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. I found that if I wished to speak with Melvin, it would require a written request to the Congressional Medal of Honor Association headquartered in South Carolina. Weeks passed after making the request with no response. One morning I received an unexpected telephone call. The magic of caller ID displayed the name Biddle, Melvin. Melvin agreed to meet with me and invited me to his home. I later told my wife I couldn’t have been more nervous speaking to the President.

When I arrived at Melvin’s home in Anderson, I was greeted with a warm handshake and a “let me take your coat.” Inside Melvin’s home there is little to tell you that a war hero lives there. The lone evidence is a crystal block with his name inscribed on it. The crystal is the replica presented to Melvin during the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial Opening in Indianapolis which sits next to a fiftieth wedding anniversary photograph of Melvin and Leona.

Melvin is much like other veterans I have met. He humbly wanted to talk about the other Congressional Medal of Honor recipients he has known. He told me stories about his long friendship with recipient Gerry Kisters of Bloomington. Kisters, recognized for his actions in Sicily, had attacked a German machine gun position despite being struck five times by enemy fire. The two had traveled to Congressional Medal of Honor reunions over the years.

While relaxing on the couch, Melvin told me of his combat experiences and the act that earned him the highest decoration our country could bestow.

Melvin Biddle was drafted in 1943. He left his job working with his father at Delco and was sent to Camp Attaberry. It was there he volunteered to be a paratrooper. At first his commanders were skeptical about Melvin making it through the physical training he must endure while at Fort Benning, Georgia. Life as a paratrooper was tough to say the least. Each candidate was pushed to physical exhaustion. Once training was completed, they were as physically conditioned as any professional athlete. Melvin had hunted with his father, Owen, while growing up making him handy with a rifle. Despite this, Melvin admits that being around gunfire bothered him in the early stages of his training. Melvin completed the grueling airborne training and was shipped overseas with the 517th Parachute Regiment. He saw combat in Italy and also took part in the invasion of southern France.

In December 1944, the Allies were poised at the German border. They had driven the German army out of France and Belgium and thought the war would be over in a matter of weeks. The 517th had even begun practicing for a victory parade they expected to have when they returned to the States.

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