"Mel has a restless nature and a pleasant personality," read the caption under Hairston's picture in the 1963 Germantown High School yearbook. Hairston sang in the junior choir at Zion Baptist Church. In July 1963, a month after his graduation, he enlisted in the Army. The 19-year-old specialist four, a rifleman, was sent to Vietnam in late December 1965. He was assigned to Company B of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), and died on Jan. 13, 1966. He was engaged to be married. Survivors included his parents, a brother and a sister.