Allen enlisted in the navy February 28, 1944 before he had reached his 18th birthday. On January 7, 1945 he was promoted to petty officer, third class, and rated as a coxswain. Prior to his enlistment in the navy, Allen attended grade school at Williams and high school at Clover Bend. He was the son of Mrs. Melvin Wyatt of Alicia.
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source of information: Times Dispatch, Walnut Ridge (1945)