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name
MULLEN, Clarence Leroy - Date of
birth
16 September 1915 -
Age
29 - Place of
birth
Shelby County, Ohio -
Hometown
Shelby County, Ohio
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
35135309 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
325th Glider Infantry Regiment,
82nd Airborne Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
29 September 1944 - Place of
death
Kiekberg Woods, Holland
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 12 | 14 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Clay C. Mullen (father)
Leona G. Mullen (mother)
Elnora V. Mullen (sister)
Mabel E. Mullen (sister)
Goldie L. Mullen (sister)
Norma R. Mullen (sister)
Charles E. Mullen (brother)
Doris E. Mullen (sister)
Thelma J. Mullen (sister)
Jessie A. Mullen (sister)
More information
S/Sgt Clarence L. Mullen enlisted in Fort Thomas Newport, Kentucky on 19 March 1942.The following is a brief report from James Ralph, who served with the 325th GIR : "On, or about 28 September, we were directed to clean out a contingency of Germans who were well entrenched on a densely wooded hillside, called the Kiekberg Woods. Three quarters of the way up the hill the enemy was dug in an camouflaged so effectively as to be nearly invisible. My unit was on the right flank advancing up the slope until we were within 20 feet of their foxholes. We couldn't see them unless a black helmet came out of the ground for couple of seconds. The mortar fire was particularly devastating since many of the rounds exploded in the trees, showering shrapnel over a wide area. Word was passed through the ranks that our Company Command Post had been hit, wiping it out".
Clarence was first declared missing in action and which was later changed to killed in action. His parent’s received the following information according to military records: “On September 29, 1944, Sgt Mullen participated in an attack on the enemy in the Kiekberg Woods, Holland. Enemy opposition was encountered and your son was seen to be injured. However, enemy gunfire prevented his evacuation and he was not subsequently seen or heard from. Full consideration has been given to all available information bearing on the absence of your son. In view of the fact that twelve months have now expired without the receipt of evidence to support a continued presumption of survival, the War Department must terminate such absence by a presumptive finding of death. In the case of your son, this date has been set as September 30, 1945.”
Later records indicate that his body was recovered and is buried in the American Cemetery at Margraten, the Netherlands.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record
Photo source: Anthony Nouens, Jo Smeets