The SS Leopoldville, a Belgian passenger ship pressed into service during WWII, carried 2,500 United States soldiers from the 66th Division, Army Infantry, through the rough waters of the English Channel. The men had ridden in crowded trains across England the previous day and were headed to combat in France.

Just after Christmas Eve dinner in 1944, the Leopoldville was rocked by a torpedo from a German U-boat that struck the ship's troop department. The force was so powerful that the ship's steel beams were twisted, and debris snarled the quarters as water poured into the hole. All but two ladders leading to the ship's deck were destroyed.Yet survivors would later describe the "orderliness and calm" of the rush to save as many men as possible. Many remembered the voice of a man standing above-decks at the top of a ladder, calmly repeating, "Give me your hand, son," and he pulled soldiers to safety.The men deployed lifeboats and a British ship pulled alongside to assist. At 8:30 p.m., the ship sunk swiftly, and soldiers were left clinging for their lives to debris that swirled in the watery pull of the sinking ship. Nearly 800 men lost their lives.The remainder of the 66th Division fought the Germans on the French Atlantic coast, vowing revenge for the Leopoldville disaster. So tenacious and brave was the division, it was described as "like a panther digging in its claws" and they were named the 66th Panther Division.Charles Melley served in the Panther Division for four years. Born in Coaldale in 1922, he excelled in football, basketball and track. In 1939, he scored all the points in the annual football Thanksgiving Classic, beating Lansford. In 1940, he was the highest scorer in the Schuylkill-Carbon League, and earned a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania.He attended college until 1942, when he enlisted. After his WWII service, he returned to college, where he was student government president. He died in Florida in 1977.Inside a trophy case in a dark alcove of the former Coaldale High School, there's a plaque in honor of Charles Melley. It's tipped over in a corner, face-down against the glass, so dusty it is initially unreadable. Around it, like sentinels from a bygone era standing in mute complaint, are a mix of tall trophies. Some are topped with footballs, some with basketballs; some show a golfer at the end of a swing, and some are ornately decorated for students who excelled academically, winning oratorical contests.There are nearly 100 items inside the trophy case. The trophies are glimpses of history. For example, in 1947, Thomas Watkins won the ninth-grade oratorical contest (Watkins would later serve in the United States Navy, during the Korean War, and he played football for Millersville University). The 1940 Coaldale track team was the District XI champion, and many of those men served in WWII.There's a plaque for George Welsh, who played for Coaldale and was starting quarterback for three years at the U.S. Naval Academy. In his senior year, he led the nation in passing and total offense, and was third in the Heisman voting. He coached under Joe Paterno at Penn State, and also was head coach at the Naval Academy and the University of Virginia.Welsh is in the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach. His plaque in the former Coaldale High School trophy case had to be wiped clean of dust to be read."It's a shame that no one sees them," said Tara Stauffenberg, education coordinator for the Head Start organization which currently rents the former high school, now called the Coaldale Complex. "And if the case stays here, no one is ever going to see them."Coaldale Council President Angela Krapft brought the issue to the attention of council during a meeting Tuesday. She said the items should be available for members of the public to see and admire, and during the meeting, council members voted to look into it. But how to accomplish that?"If possible, I'd like to see if the trophy case could be moved somewhere in the borough hall building," Krapft said. "It would be a major job to do it, but I think it's important to honor the memories and history that is here.""I want to see Coaldale get back to people having a feeling of pride in this town," she said. "I hope that people realize how important a project like this is; these people and what they did in high school, and later in their lives, should have a place of honor."The trophy case is 15 feet long, about 2 feet wide and 6 feet high. It is made of wood with two sets of sliding glass doors. Anyone who would like to be involved in the project should contact a member of Coaldale Borough Council or call the borough hall.