During Monday night's Memorial Day game, the Gwinnett Braves honored a local war veteran for his service during World War II.

According to the team's Facebook post, Melvin Plate was drafted into the U.S. Army on July 21, 1942. After basic training, he went on to Seattle, Washington, for assignment in the Pacific War effort.

Plate was later assigned to Alaska's Fort Randall at Cold Bay in the Aleutian Islands, then to Port Heiden and ultimately, to Fort Morrow, where he was assigned to battery c-595 AAA anti-aircraft at Dutch Harbor.

There, Plate spent the remainder of his career in the U.S. Army.

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez