Mullen, William Francis
Marines Major

William Francis Mullen, age 31, from Plymouth County Brockton, Massachusetts .

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Friday, April 29, 1966
Death details: Captain William Francis Mullen, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Massachusetts, was a member of the Marine Wing Headquarters Group 1, Marine Wing Headquarters Group 1, 1st Marine Air Wing. On April 29, 1966, he piloted a single-seat A-4E Skyhawk (bureau number 151047, call sign “Oxwood 93”) as part of a three-plane bombing mission near Ban Karai Pass, Laos. Witnesses from other aircraft on the mission reported that Capt Mullen’s Skyhawk was hit by anti-aircraft fire while making its run over the target. The other two aircraft then flew into a cloud formation and lost sight of Capt Mullen’s aircraft, and did not see him during the flight to the rendezvous point. Attempts to contact Capt Mullen by radio were unsuccessful, and a crash site was not located. He was not seen or heard from again, and subsequent attempts to locate his remains have been unsuccessful. While in missing in action, Capt Mullen was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol). Today, Lieutenant Colonel Mullen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency