John Milton MULVEY

“Jack”

Parents : Francis Milton & Eleanor Vivian LUDERMAN MULVEY

Siblings : Francis James, Margaret Ann & Patricia Ann

Source : Frogman

CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  -- N°--

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

John Milton Mulvey was born in Olean, New York on June 13, 1924. His father Frances Milton was a Lieutenant with the area Police Department and his mom was a housewife. John had one brother, and two sisters. His brother, Francis, was a Tech Sgt and a bombardier in Trinidad. John attended two high schools, South Park and St. Teresa's.

After graduation he enlisted in the Army on March 3, 1943. He was a Private First Class, attached to the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion, Company C. John's battalion was the only Combat Engineer Battalion to land on both Utah and Omaha Beach on D-Day.

 The 299th was activated on March 1, 1943 at Camp White, Oregon. They had to be quick to act, and brave under fire. On D-Day, June 6,1944, they were the first on Omaha beach. They were organized into eight demolition teams and a commander. Each team had a ton of explosives and accessories , all of which had to be carried by the soldiers. The tides were rising, so demolition of the outer obstacles had to be finished within 30 minutes of landing. Company A and C worked the entire day, on Omaha, to ensure mobility of the main force. Under extremely heavy fire they cleared obstacles and mines.

The 299th Combat Engineer Battalion, Company A and C, received a Presidential Citation for completing their mission under extreme difficulty which required extreme heroism on the part of each soldier. Pfc Mulvey was at first reported as missing, that was later changed to Killed in Action. He is buried at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. He was survived by both parents and all his siblings. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

 In 2020, his niece Diane, his brother Francis' daughter, posted on a military forum that she was the last of Pfc Mulvey family and she was still trying to find her uncles Purple Heart. There were no comments.