At the beginning of one’s life, a person will find themselves facing challenges that seem impossible to defeat. No matter what the problem one has to face and then hopefully will overcome will set the course of that person’s future. Dan Melendez was addicted to illegal drugs, until he faced his fears and overcame his addiction. Dan vanquished the dependence of narcotics and is now living the life he has always dreamed of.

Dan had a normal loving childhood that he holds as fond memories. He played sports, baseball and basketball, which his father was always a positive influence and often coached his teams. His father, who works in the grocery industry always bought Dan whatever he needed. His mother went from dress designer to real estate agent to a highly successful broker. Dan’s mother is one of the top real estate brokers in Southern California. Never beaten, never spanked; that is how Dan remembers his childhood; he just recalls being surrounded in pool of love from the whole family, including his younger sister.

His family was not rich growing up, but they were financially secure, and that is why they always lived in the sunnier parts of Southern California. Dan recollects moving from Hawthorne to Manhattan Beach and finally, Hermosa Beach; they lived in the third largest house in South Bay. “Although we lived in that house,  I never treated people differently like I was better than them,” Melendez openly reveals with tenderness in his voice.

The first contact Dan had with drugs was when he started smoking pot. “When I was growing up, weed was a big thing, everybody was smoking weed,” Dan humorously recalls with a distinctive chuckle. He wanted to attend the finest Art Center in Pasadena, his passion was painting; however the year he applied the school changed the entry requirements. Unfortunately, Dan was unable to attend the Art Center after the changes were made, but went on to attend El Camino College and Long Beach State to get the prerequisites for the Art Center. Dan had a realization that the road to his future would have gone a different path if he had been accepted into the Art Center.

After a while, Dan lost his ambition for the Art Center, and that unsatisfied mood set the tone for the next ten years of his life. Dan became a member of a Rock N’ Roll band, and ended up being their lead singer. They traveled a lot; played from club to club and they even performed at The Roxy. This was at the time that cocaine started to make a hit with the US culture. The cocaine boom affected the real estate office Dan’s mom ran; nearly half of her agents were on the drug.

At age twenty-three, he pretty much floated through life, and dramatically, his Rock N’ Roll band had broken up. Dan spent his time doing odd jobs; from working in a warehouse to working at a music store. While he was attending Long Beach State, Dan became heavily addicted to cocaine, and that was the last straw for his mother and father. They placed Dan in a rehab center in Venice, Ca. The program was scheduled to last for nine months, but Dan ended up leaving after eight months. The way life was going for Dan was not working out picture perfect, so at twenty-seven years old, Dan’s dad told him you are going into the Navy.

Dan saw that the Navy could be a different and new avenue in his life that would change the tone to something more successful. The company he became a part of was the first all Hispanic, all city company that has ever been in the Navy. His company is in the Naval Hall of Fame. The name of the company was Company 153; the L.A. Times came down and followed them through their basic training. Dan recalls the company being filled with Mexican Gang members. His nickname was “Hollywood,” because the first day at boot camp he wore a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of white pants. After a few weeks at boot camp, the Company Commander noticed that Dan had a very loud voice, and he decided that Dan should be the RCPO. The RCPO is the officer to the left of the Commander who carries a sword, and yells out commands.

Melendez was doing well when he enlisted in the Navy. His life was structured, he felt useful and important, and most importantly, he was off drugs. Even though he was lousy in Algebra during high school, Dan performed perfectly in Ace School. He was placed as an Operations Specialist. If he ever went out to sea he would have been reading the scopes determining the location of ships, and if there were missiles headed their way.  Unfortunately, his company received shore duties, Dan got involved with pot, and he was then caught with a bit of weed. On the base, Dan went through various medical procedures and they found out he had a problem with his vision. 

After being let go from the Navy, he moved back home and using various drugs; speed was one he constantly used. For about four to five years he lost himself. One night Dan went to a bar where they had an Elvis karaoke night. He picked a girl in the audience and sang to her. She was OBGYN from Detroit. The spark between the two was so magical that he went to Detroit with her. There in Detroit, with his talents in the arts, he made the right connections to become  the artist for Second City. He was there for three years, made some money, bought a truck, and went back home. Dan then heavily got back into speed. He started hanging out with the wrong people again.

This disastrous downward spiral became a common drive for Dan. He would run out of money, go back to Detroit, make money, come back home, and fill himself with narcotics. Until one day he saw himself through his father’s eyes, that dramatic moment brought him to tears for several days. After the love, dedication and hard work his parents had done for him, he did not want his mother and father to go to their graves knowing their son ended up as a drug addict. “They suffered greatly already,” Dan recalls with much sadness.  He stayed in Detroit and made a promise to himself that he is never going down that road of destruction again. Dan began making good money, hanging out with the right people, and painted numerous murals for the Detroit Red Wings and Tigers. His murals can also be seen at Pro Bass Shops and venues throughout the United States.

While working in Detroit, his parents arranged for him to meet a woman they thought would be right for Dan. She lived in California.  The connection between Dan and the young lady worked out, she became his future wife. He eventually returned to California, got married and built a new life with her.

Today, Dan remains drug free and is painting new chapters in his life. Dan realizes that he has been blessed with a new life. He realizes how fortunate he is and that is he alive today to tell his story. His murals and his story continue to inspire others that it is never to late to change to have a future and a hope. 

Article written by Richard Castillo