Article Contributed on: 5/28/2007 4:45:04 PM
Melvin C. Steele was a member of the 10th Mountain Division, the tough and innovative soldiers who pioneered ski and climbing mountain warfare by training at Camp Hale in the Colorado mountains. Pfc. Steele, of the 86th Infantry, was among those who fought against Nazi positions in northern Italy, and was killed in action in the Po Valley on April 21, 1945. Steele was born in Jefferson County on September 4, 1911, and came to Golden when he was 2 years old, the only son of
Guy Steele and his wife.
Upon growing up, Melvin worked at the Coors Porcelain Plant for 11 years, and then contributed to the war effort by working at the Remington Arms plant. Steele had a wife,
Mary, and children
Melvin Jr., Iris Elaine and
Duane, and they made their home at 902 Given Street in Golden. On March 20, 1944 Steele enlisted in the Army, and trained for 17 months as a cannoneer a Camp Roberts, California.
Afterwards he went to Fort Meade, Maryland and Camp Swift, Texas before being sent overseas on December 15, 1944. Steele fought in 3 major battles, and received the Purple Heart for wounds received in action on March 2, 1945. When he died Steele was 33 years old. He was in total awarded two purple hearts (including oak leaf cluster), two major Battle Stars, Infantry Badge, and Good Conduct. He is buried at Castle Florinto in Italy. Steele was the first of two Goldenites of the 10th Mountain Division to fall in war, the other being
Henry Cecil Risner at Baghdad, Iraq in 2004.
Cyrus Otho Coyle, an Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class, was killed when his bomber plane was shot down in the Pacific theater on November 25, 1944. Coyle had been a citizen of Golden for 5 years, working at the Coors Brewery and living with the Horne family, his relatives, when he enlisted. Coyle was born in Bloomington, Illinois in 1915, and was the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Owen Coyle. Coyle was married and had a son
Norman Wayne Coyle. Cyrus Coyle received the Purple Heart and is listed upon the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery.