A tribute to George Mullins on Memorial Day 2011

Happy Memorial Day to everyone.

As we celebrate Memorial Day 2011, I want to pay tribute to my uncles who served in World War II including Carroll Schield, Dan McCorry and, I believe, Bud Jonas. In our generation, those who served include Dan McCorry (USAF), my brother Bill Mullins (USAF), Jim Jonas (US Army) and my late brother-in-law Ken Freer (US Army). Forgive me if I've overlooked others. Today my brother Joe Mullins asked me to post on the McCorry Family USA blog this remembrance of our father, George Mullins:

On this Memorial Day I am reminded of the sacrifice so many Americans made for our country in the defense of Freedom.

The following is a story about my father that some of you may not know.

My fathers favorite movie was “The Bridge on The River Kwai”. I did not know the significance of this film until I heard the following story.

My father was inducted into The United States Army in December of 1941, shortly after the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor. He was sent to Officer Candidate School, where he came out a Second Lieutenant in The Quartermaster Corps. For those of you who do not know, The Quartermaster Corps is charged with seeing that all units deployed in a theater of operations get all the supplies they need to fight the war. He was assigned to a unit to be deployed oversees. However the Captain of his unit had found out my father had gone to Harvard University ( one semester) so he had “The College Boy” transferred to another unit. My father was sent to Europe where he served honorably in London and later Paris, after the liberation of Europe in 1944-45.

The original unit my father was assigned to, was sent to The Pacific Theater of Operations, where they were captured on The Bataan Peninsula. They were forced by their Japanese captors to march through the jungle to prisoner of war camps. Many of them died enroute or in the camps because of starvation, exhaustion, or execution. Of all the people who knew my father, that one Captain was the only man I ever heard of , who didn’t like my father. I and my siblings are living proof, that one man can change the course of history for the better. I thank God everyday for that one Captain who didn't like my father.

Happy Memorial Day!

Joe Mullins