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1st Lt. Carl D. Mullican Jr.
722nd Squadron
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Carl and his wife of 50 years, Dorothy
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Carl Mullican was born on March 17, 1924, in Pascagoula, MS.
His family moved at a very early age to Wesson, MS, and was educated in the public schools there. After graduation from
Wesson High School, he volunteered in the Army Air Corps for service in WW II.
He received his commission and "wings" in January 1944, when he was nineteen years old, and served in the European Theater as a B24 bomber pilot.
He was a member of the 15th Air Force's 450th Bomb Group. He was flying his thirteenth mission in a bombing raid over Ploesti oil fields in Romania, a primary
target of the Allies since it provided the fuel for the German military operations, when his plane encountered anti-aircraft fire and was severely damaged. Ploesti was the most heavily defended target in the European Theater of Operations. Not only did it have hundreds of anti-aircraft guns, but also squadrons of fighter planes and the capacity to lay down a full smoke screen. He and other members of his crew were wounded by the anti-aircraft fire.
The pilot bailed out of the plane, but Carl and two other crewmembers stayed with the plane. They completed their mission and were attempting to return to their base when the German fighters hit the plane again. Carl, the co-pilot, had the plane in a glide, trying to get the plane to the Yugoslavia border, when his crew bailed out of the plane. He had to put on his parachute and jump,
Once on the ground, he was captured and imprisoned in a camp in Bucharest, Romania. He was liberated when the Russians entered Bucharest and the guards ran away. He was found by the Allies and returned to his base in Mandina, Italy, where he received the Purple Heart.
He was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the POW medal, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters. In addition, he was awarded the WW II Victory medal and the European African Middle Eastern Campaign medal.
When the war ended, he was on the West Coast waiting for his new assignment to fight in the Pacific Theater.
When he returned from the war, he enrolled in the University of Mississippi where he later received his BA, MA, and LLB.
In 1968, he received his Juris Doctor. Upon graduation, he was employed by the University as Assistant Director, Bureau of Public Administration.
He was technical advisor to the Mississippi Legislative Fact-finding Committee on reorganization of the State government from 1950-51.
He left his position at the University and joined Mississippi Power and Light Company as Administrative Assistant in the Executive Department. He worked
25 years within this organization to a position of Vice President in the parent company, Middle South Utilities, Inc., now Entergy. He left the company in 1977 to establish his own company, CMC, Inc., a public relations/advertising firm. His office and contents were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Mr. Mullican became a member of the Sugar Bowl in 1973 and was an Emeritus Member. He was a former deacon of Carrolton Presbyterian Church, New Orleans, LA.
Mr. Mullican died on December 23, 2006 after a long illness, and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on January 24, 2007. PCA CH (BG) Doug Lee presided.
Mullican was survived by his wife of 50 years, Mrs. Dorothy Mullican, and his son, Carl Denver Mullican.
At the time of his death, Carl and Dorothy attended Grace PCA, Metairie, LA.
Information courtesy of Denver Mullican, son of Carl Mullican
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Link To Crew Information
Link to MACR 6764
Link To Additional Pictures
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