Retired Chief Musician Elmer Melby celebrates his 100th birthday on Navy Birthday, Oct. 13. Members of the Navy Band Northwest traveled over 446 miles round trip to pay tribute to one of their own. Chief Melby was born in Manfred, S.D., on Oct. 13, 1902. He was only 17 years old when he visited a Navy recruiter for the first time in 1919 and told the skeptical recruiter that he was 21 years of age. Chief Melby first learned to play drums in his father's band as a youth, so enlisting in the Navy and joining the Navy Band was a natural. While in the Navy, Chief Melby also learned how to play clarinet, saxophone, and violin. During this time every ship had its own band. When not playing, band members manned battle stations and helped keep the ship clean. U.S.