author
Charles D. Melson
b. 1948
A longtime Marine Corps historian, he writes military history with the authority of someone who served it as well as studied it. His books often focus on Marines in combat, especially in the Pacific during World War II and in Vietnam.
1 Audiobook
Up The Slot: Marines in the Central Solomons
by Charles D. Melson
About the author
Charles D. "Chuck" Melson is an American military historian and retired Marine officer born in 1948. He served as Chief Historian for the U.S. Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., and at Marine Corps University in Quantico, and he also worked as a joint historian with U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command.
His writing centers on Marine Corps and military history, with books and official histories on subjects including the Pacific war, Vietnam, and later U.S. operations. Reliable publisher and Marine Corps sources describe him as a longtime public historian whose work helped document Marine experiences across several conflicts.
Earlier biographical notes from National Park Service-hosted editions of his work say he was from the San Francisco Bay area and completed graduate study at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. Across his career, he has combined firsthand military experience with archival research, which gives his history writing a practical, grounded feel.