NO. 17538 • 1 Oct 1924 - 8 Aug 2007
Died in Falls Church, VA
Interred in Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN
In his military career, Melvin Henry Johnsrud always seemed to be moving on to bigger things. As an Infantry rifleman during World War II, he fought across France into Germany; as an Artilleryman during the Korean War, he commanded a battery of the Army’s largest caliber howitzers; and as a group commander during the Cold War, he held responsibilities for the Army’s most powerful weapons in a Theater Army Support Group deployed along a long sector of the Iron Curtain. Yet, for all the destructive capacity that was entrusted to him, he always remained gentle, thoughtful, and caring.
Mel was born on 1 Oct 1924, in Minneapolis, MN, to Martin and Johanna Johnsrud, both of whom came to America from Norway in 1915, met here, and married. Mel was the second of three sons. The others were Bernard, Class of ’45, and Sherman.
Born into a railroad family, Mel traveled extensively during his youth. He visited the Chicago, San Francisco, and New York World Fairs, several national parks, and the Canadian Rockies. Mel was ever appreciative of Army travel opportunities, and during retirement he seemed to be always on the road, averaging three trips a month through airline/hotel travel memberships.
Immediately after graduating from North High in Minneapolis, Mel enlisted. Assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), he attended the University of Nebraska and St. Louis University. When the planning for the invasion of Europe revealed the need for more manpower, ASTP students quickly transitioned into the Infantry. Just prior to his departure, Mel had taken competitive exams for the service academies, but he was not aware he had won appointments to West Point and Annapolis until he found himself in Germany.
Mel entered the Military Academy with the Class of 1949 but graduated with the Class of 1950. Upon graduation, he chose the Field Artillery and took airborne training. During the Korean War, he was assigned to the 780th FA Battalion in X Corps. His 8-inch battery also included a self-propelled howitzer that roamed from the Korean Punchbowl eastward to the coast, providing direct fire against bunkers and caves from hills along the front. After returning stateside, he was assigned as assistant professor of military science at Harvard, where he met colleagues who became national security advisors during the Kennedy administration.
Adding to Mel’s academic laurels was graduation from Georgia Tech as an MSEE and subsequent assignment to the Defense Atomic Support Agency in the Pentagon. There, Mel established and became secretary for a committee of AEC and DOD scientists assessing the vulnerability of nuclear weapons in all environments. This experience led to later nuclear weapons assignments with NATO forces and Theater Army Support Command in Germany; as Chief of the Nuclear Branch, J-5, JCS; and as a Director in the Defense Nuclear Agency in Washington.
Between these assignments, Mel served with the 11th Airborne Division and later with the 82d Airborne as battalion commander of troops at Ft. Bragg and in the Dominican Republic during the crisis there. He qualified for the Senior Parachutist Badge. His awards also include the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal with “V” for Valor and three oak leaf clusters, and several campaign and service medals.
In 1975, Mel established his residence in Alexandria, VA, and he retired from the Army as a colonel in 1979. After retirement, he was employed by BDM Corporation for six years as special assistant to Dr. Joseph V. Braddock, one of BDM’s founders.
Before his Army retirement, Mel was a victim of an automobile accident near Worms, Germany, while on official business. Two vertebrae were crushed. He recovered from this accident; however, after a heart attack in November 1993, he was in the hospital and convalescent homes until June 1994. These medical difficulties severely reduced Mel’s mobility and travels, but he still managed occasional flights to visit relatives and friends in the United States and Europe.
Mel always had many friends and places to visit, and he reciprocated with legendary hospitality. For example, while at Carlisle, he helped to host a buffet for 250 guests in his BOQ, which had been a mansion before the post was established. Mel prepared much of the fare himself and became known among friends as a formidable chef with an international repertoire of menus. In fact, Mel’s prowess as a cook may have thwarted his relationships with girlfriends (there were many), as they probably did not look forward to competition in the kitchen. Perhaps because of his culinary skills and his penchant for travel and assignments in remote places, he never married, but he was always available to escort visiting unattached femmes.
Mel’s life and career were quite different from those of most USMA graduates. Nonetheless, he gave long and faithful service in living the Academy motto of “Duty, Honor, Country.” The Class of 1950 is proud to join his family and friends in proclaiming, “Well done, Mel. Be thou at peace!”
—His brothers