Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1970 Lucky Bag:

PAUL LLOYD MELLOTT, JR.

Paul came to the Academy from a small Maryland town, called Funkstown. He received his appointment from his state representative. Paul came to the Academy with the idea of fulfilling his military obligation and acquiring a college education. Although he has not excelled in any particular field, he has been a steady performer over all. He is minoring in the Management field, and is very active in the intramural program. After his second class summer experiences, he has decided to make Navy Air his service selection. Shortly after graduating, Paul plans on marrying, and eventually acquiring a masters degree in management. By then, he feels he will be ready to determine whether or not to make the Navy a life-time career.

Loss

Paul was lost on May 20, 1979 when his helicopter crashed while en route to Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine from Norfolk, Virginia. The four other men aboard were also killed; they were all members of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 30.

From VHPA:

Washington Post, May 21, 1979

LONDONDERRY, N.H., May 20 (AP)–A U.S. Navy helicopter crashed “in a ball of fire” today and killed all five crew members aboard, authorities said.

Master Sgt. James Duncan of Pease Air Force in Newington said there were no survivors.

Duncan said the craft took off Sunday morning from Norfolk Naval Air Station en route to Brunswick Naval Air Station in Maine.

The dead, all Navy personnel living in the Norfolk area were Lt. Cmdr. Lynwood H. Duncan, 34, originally of Greensboro, N.C.; Lt. Cmdr. James P. Hogan, 34, of Davenport, Iowa; Lt. Paul Melotte, 31, of Funkstown, Md.; Petty Officer Second Class Michael J. Kennedy, 25, of Warminster, Pa., and Airman Apprentice Paul J. Dellas, 21, of San Jose, Calif.

The Navy H2 helicopter went down in a field near a sparsely populated residential area in the northern part of this community of about 12,000 south of Manchester.

The Londonderry fire dispatcher said the craft was “a ball of fire” after it hit the ground, but it did not endanger any homes in the area.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Paul was a 1966 graduate of South Hagerstown High School. Basketball 2; Football 1, 2, 3, 4; Senior Boys’ Club 4; Student Council 3; Track 2, 3, 4; Varsity Club 3.

In April 1966, he was third in the shotput in a meet against Allegany High School. At the All-Sports Banquet in May, Bill Elias, head football coach at the U.S. Naval Academy, was the featured speaker. Paul was appointed to the Naval Academy by Rep. Charles Mathias.

In December 1968, his sister Teresa Ann married Ensign Joseph John Kavale ‘68. On June 7, 1970, Paul married Allyson Marie Washburn at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel. His sister Ingrid was one of the bridesmaids. Ensign William Patrick Overson was best man, and the ushers were Midshipmen Bob Shields, Ray Van Dyke, Robert Drews, Brian Dalby and Eugene Ral.

In 1971 he successfully completed a course at the Environmental Indoctrination School of the Naval Aviation Schools Command at Pensacola. He received his “Wings of Gold” as a naval aviator in Pensacola in February 1972.

A photo of the crash site was printed in the Boston Globe.

From Find A Grave:

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Allyson M. Washburn Mellott; daughter, Miss Alyssa Christine; son, Benjamin Wesley; two sisters, Mrs. Teresa Ann Sawyer, Denver, Co.; and Miss Ingrid Lee Mellott, Funkstown; brother, David Earl Mellott, Hagerstown; and a paternal grandmother, Mrs. Pauline Mellott, Mercersburg, Pa.

Paul is buried in Maryland.

Remembrance

From the Class of 1970 40th Reunion Book:

I had the pleasure of rooming with Paul Mellott during his first three months at USNA during Plebe Summer. I think he liked me right off, since I seemed to catch more of the flack when upperclassmen entered our room. We spent a fair amount of the early days challenging each other about why we came to Navy and why we were staying. At least Paul had a shot at football stardom and Navy Air. We never quite figured out why I was there. I was amazed at how he deeply loved his girlfriend, Allyson. I mean, he really loved her. Her letters and pictures sustained him. Paul went out for football that summer and spent the evenings trying to recuperate from his 110% effort on the field. He was tough; he took his fair amount of physical punishment in the halls as well as on the football practice field. We had some intense conversations trying to figure out how to survive the Second Classmen out in the hallway, especially when you had to take a trip to the head. We always looked out for each other during the rest of our four years at USNA. Good friends. I miss you Paul. Wally Martin, 2nd Company, ’70

Photographs

From his high school yearbook

From his high school yearbook

From The Morning Herald on May 19, 1966

Related Articles

John Hogan ‘68 was also lost in this crash.