Fred Melvin Short

John and Anna Short were raising four children, one of them a teenager, by the time Fred was born. Twin boys followed in 1931 but one of them died at birth. 

When John wasn’t working as a steamfitter he was home with the family on Croskey Street in the West Passyunk section of Philadelphia. At least he was until a failed operation in 1935 left his wife a widow, with four children still at home. Thankfully, by that time there were two children in their 20s to help support the family.

When France fell to Germany in June of 1940, Fred had just completed 8th grade. He didn’t quite finish high school four years later because he wanted to join the Navy as soon as he turned 18. He actually started the process in April of 1944. His assignment was aboard an “oiler,”  the USS Merrimack. Its purpose was to refuel ships and naval aircraft that were part of the main striking force in the Far East.

It serviced the ships that covered the landing on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Then the Third Fleet focused on Japan itself, thanks to fuel from tankers like Merrimack. After the war was officially over, Fred’s ship made several trips crossing the Pacific to refuel the ships that supported the occupation of Japan.

Fred was discharged in early 1946 but chose the Army to be his next employer. He reached the rank of Sergeant during his enlistment from October of 1947 to September of 1951. He also went from single to married status about this time, when he joined hearts with Matilda Mildred Keiter. A son named James was born in 1951, and they had two others, Fred and Diane. 

On the application for a military gravestone, his service during the Vietnam era was listed as March of 1963 to March of 1966. He was awarded the Purple Heart but it is not known when, why, or where.  Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive database of those who received the honor. As with many veterans of post-World War II years, biographical, census, and military data is often not available.

Other members of the Short family were proud to serve their country. Brother Bill was also in the Navy during World War II. His sister, Anna, was married to a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and her son was a Marine Corporal in Vietnam. Fred’s own son, James, was a Lance Corporal in the Marines.

Matilda died 19 years after her husband and was buried in her parents’ plot at North Cedar Hill Cemetery. Fred was the only member of either his own family or extended family to be buried here.

(Two other Vietnam vets who are buried here have Notable life stories for also serving during World War II and the Korean War, William Bauman and Frederick Bockstahler.)