Jennifer McMullen has her eye on a younger man.
Granted, it’s her husband of 79 years, Mel, who turns 100 on June 5.
Jennifer McMullen herself attained centenarian status eight months ago, and the Whittier couple continue the twinkly-eyed banter they struck up after meeting at the end of World War II. Of their anniversary on May 13, Jennifer said it’s good, because “I plan to be married 80 years.”
Her groom advises: “Find a beautiful lady who will forgive all your faults.”
His bride said she found herself a good man. Her Melvin will be feted with champagne, root beer floats and cake this week. His 100th birthday is the exclamation point to a milestone-filled year. Last week, the couple were in Washington, D.C. as honorees at the National Memorial Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol.
The two shared a standing ovation with other World War II veterans at the celebration, which was hosted by actors Gary Sinise and Esai Morales and televised over PBS and Hulu.
Melvin McMullen turns 100 on June 5, having celebrated other milestones this year. The Whittier resident marked 79 years of marriage to his wife Jennifer, who is also 100. The couple were honored at the National Memorial Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol last week. Mel was a decorated World War II gunner who served in China and Jennifer was a Rosie the Riveter in Los Angeles. (Photos courtesy of Carolyn Swanson) Melvin McMullen, Los Angeles born and raised, served in the Flying Tigers 14th Air Force squadron in China during World War II. He turns 100 years old on June 5. McMullen and his wife Jennifer, also 100, raised three sons in Whittier, where they still live. (Photo courtesy of the McMullen Family) Mel and Jennifer McMullen of Whittier at the Peace Wall in China. The couple visited China several times, when Mel was serving as national commander of the China-Burma-India Veterans Association. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. (Photo courtesy of the McMullen Family) From left, Mel and Jennifer McMullen and Janie and Jim McMullen on their wedding day in Los Angeles, May 13, 1946. (Photo courtesy of the McMullen Family) Melvin McMullen, on the ladder, points to the bullet hole on the Dragon Lady’s nose turret. The hit showered the World War II gunner with shrapnel. McMullen, of Whittier, turns 100 on June 5. (Photo courtesy of McMullen Family) The McMullen family of Whittier on vacation at Lake Louise In Canada, circa 1960s. Travel was a big part of Melvin and Jennifer McMullen’s life. Both are 100 this year. (Photo courtesy of McMullen Family) Show Caption1 of 6Melvin McMullen turns 100 on June 5, having celebrated other milestones this year. The Whittier resident marked 79 years of marriage to his wife Jennifer, who is also 100. The couple were honored at the National Memorial Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol last week. Mel was a decorated World War II gunner who served in China and Jennifer was a Rosie the Riveter in Los Angeles. (Photos courtesy of Carolyn Swanson) ExpandMelvin was born in Los Angeles on June 5, 1925, the middle of three sons of James, a specialty welder, and Marie, a homemaker. Mel attended Bret Harte Elementary and was a student at Fremont High School in L.A. when World War II broke out.
In 1943, his father was already in the Army and his older brother Jim in the Army Air Corps when Mel marched into the Air Corps recruiting office in L.A. and signed up for the Aviation Cadet program. At 17, he was given deferment to finish high school and turn 18.
Trained as a gunner, McMullen completed basic training at Buckley Field in Colorado, gunnery school in Las Vegas, and flight training at March Field in Riverside before flying to Kissimmee Field in Florida in November 1944.
“About an hour out of Miami our pilot opened our sealed orders and found we were going to China to join General (Claire Lee) Chennault’s ‘Flying Tiger’ 14th Air Force, assigned to the 308th Heavy Bomb Group, 425th Squadron, based in Kunming, China,” Mel said.
He started out as the nose turret gunner and assistant engineer on the new B-26J bomber named The Dragon Lady. The 308th bomb group’s targets included the Victoria Naval docks in Kowloon Harbor, railroad marshaling yards, factories and military installations in eastern China. The Flying Tigers flew unescorted by fighter planes, dodging anti-aircraft fire and surviving extreme weather over mountainous terrain.
Mel remembers flying the “Hump” air route over the Himalayas from China to India and following “The Aluminum Trail,” where pilots charted their course by the reflection of light on the aluminum wreckage of planes that crashed.
At war’s end in 1946, Mel came home a tech sergeant, earning the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross for surviving more than 200 hours of aerial combat time. Historians credit the Flying Tigers’ missions with helping win the fight against Japan.
After 80 years, Mel said his war memories seem to blend into one long adventure, with boring chapters mixed with panicked moments: a piece of flack from an anti-aircraft gun punching a hole in his turret, piercing him with shrapnel; or one mission so long the Dragon Lady got low on fuel the men were ready to bail out.
“We finally made radio contact with a base where we could land, with two of our engines cutting out before we reached the end of the runway,” he remembers.
Mel’s homecoming was equally unforgettable. While her sons were in battle, their mother Marie had rented out rooms to two girls from Ohio. One of these ladies was Jennifer Conaway, who had worked as a riveter at Lockheed Aircraft Corporation before moving becoming a legal secretary. She and her best friend Janie loved their rooms in the house on Hoover and 79th in L.A.
That’s where Mel first laid eyes on his bride-to-be.
“I was on my way home from China,” he said. “I had my duffel bag in my hand. I open the door and saw Jennifer. I’d heard about her and I was very much interested in what I saw.”
McMullen’s older brother Jim was the one who first met Jennifer and told her she would match well with his brother.
“And we have been good together ever since,” she said.
Jim McMullen found his own happily ever after with Jennifer’s roommate and best friend Janie. The two couples held a double wedding on May 13, 1946.
In 1950, Mel and Jennifer settled in a house on Rosehedge Drive in Whittier, saying the city was a great place to bring up kids. Their three sons grew up there, their parents immersed in family life through the Scouts, Rotary Club, various PTAs and their own veteran groups such as the China/Burma/India Veterans Association and Rosie the Riveter Association.
Mel made a career in the title insurance industry and Jennifer worked as an analyst at Cal State San Bernardino until their retirement in the 1990s. They made a passion of world travels, visiting China numerous times, along with Aruba, Greece, Turkey, England, France, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Bosnia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Cuba, Oman, Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Their oldest son Tim said his father has an excellent sense of humor, subtle but constant.
“In my youth they encouraged us to be in Boy Scouts and those 12 points of the Scout law: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent. That’s an inspiration. He lives that way, as does my mother,” he said.
Staying close to family is a pillar of the McMullen legacy too. In the 1950s, the family’s Grandma Marie and Aunt Pearl moved around the block from the family home in Whittier. The house on Rosehedge became the base for summer pool parties and family gatherings, as well as the starting point of many road trips to visit numerous Conaway and McMullen relatives.
“Our life is good because we have a good family who found other good families,” Jennifer said. “We’re so proud of all of our boys.”
Their four grandchildren round out a blessed life, they added. Three years ago, Mel and Jennifer moved back to Whittier, taking daily walks and welcoming visitors to their apartment at Oakmont of Whittier.
Jennifer credits similar likes and dislikes for how they’ve proven so good together.
“We travel, we read, we argue,” she said. “I like to win but I don’t do it often.”
For her Mel, the best parts of living to 100 are the simplest.
“Just being together, that’s my favorite thing,” he said. “You can’t beat that.”
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