NEW YORK - “I could’ve killed him; he had just graduated from high school!”
One day while in the kitchen cooking dinner, Theresa Mullan received a phone call that she would never forget. An Army sergeant was on the line requesting paperwork from her son. Theresa was very confused and asked him why he was calling. The sergeant had to break the news; her son had enlisted in the Army.
“No, no, no! Rip those papers up; Michael is not going into the Army. Are you crazy, he’s only 18,” said Theresa fuming. Theresa, a Bayside, Queens native, said the sergeant nicely told her Michael signed the papers and now he belongs to Uncle Sam. Theresa was in shock. “My husband was the voice of reason, he said ‘let him go that’s what he wants’,” said Theresa with resignation.
Although Theresa was hesitant about her son joining the Army, she said it was beneficial for him and it presented many opportunities.
Capt. Michael D. Mullan enlisted in the Army in 1986. After Michael completed his four-year active duty contract in 1991, he received a X-ray technician certificate and went to nursing school at Queensboro College.
“I talked him into becoming a nurse, because I was a nurse,” said Theresa smiling. “It’s a wonderful profession. If you don’t have the heart, nursing is just a job, but you can’t think of that when you’re helping others,” said Theresa.
“Everything that Michael did, every career he had was in service to others,” said Theresa with her blue eyes tearing up. Mullan was a registered nurse; he was a captain in the United States Army Reserves and a New York City firefighter. “Three hats he wore very, very well,” said Theresa proudly.
Mullan died Sept. 11, 2001, while helping to rescue people from the Marriott World Trade Center, which stood between the Twin Towers. While conducting rescue operations the tower began to loose stability as he reached the third floor stairwell. When the emergency “may day” announcement called for evacuation, instead of leaving, he chose to continue helping people. “I’ll go get them,” Mullan responded to the emergency call. Shortly thereafter, the building collapsed.
At the time of his death, Mullan had contributed 15 years of military service to this nation. At the funeral, Mullan’s brother said Michael had honored his father by joining the military; his mother by becoming a nurse and himself by becoming a New York City firefighter.
“I am very proud of Michael, not just because of 9/11. He accomplished so much in his short 34 years on this earth,” said Theresa in a calmed and soothing tone.
Mullan was also a great piano player with a great sense of humor.
“When he sat down at the piano, he became Jerry Lee Lewis,” said Theresa excitedly. “He would knock your socks off.”
“He loved to tell jokes and to do impressions,” said Master Sgt. Minnie M. Hawkins, area leader with the Army Reserves Career Division, 1st Battalion. “He was a nice guy, very silly. He joked around, but when it was time for work, he worked. He did a good job.”
Hawkins worked with Mullan for many years in the same unit when he was a specialist.
Mullan was a firefighter with Ladder 12 in Manhattan.
“He was a clown and the firehouse prankster,” said Theresa laughing. “We need those people in this world, we don’t need everybody so serious and so rigid; we need the clowns.”
Mullan’s sense of humor, heroism and service to this country are not forgotten. A 9/11 memorial stands at Fort Totten as a way to honor and remember Mullan and five other fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the terrible 9/11 attacks.
Lt. Col. William Polhmann, Capt. Mark Whitford, Warrant Officer Ronald Bucca, Staff Sgt. Frederick Ill, Sgt. Shawn Powell, and Capt. Michael Mullan remain in the mind and hearts of those who attend the Annual Remembrance ceremony held at Fort Totten’s 9/11 memorial.
“This is important,” said Theresa as she pointed to the memorial ground and the ceremony attendees. “The respect that their comrades give them is very consoling to all of the families. Their ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
“It was good for him,” said Theresa about her son’s military career. “He learned to be focused. He did very well and still retained his silly sense of humor. It is absolutely heartwarming to know that we don’t forget.”
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2015 21:18 |
| Story ID: | 181381 |
| Location: | QUEENS/NEW YORK, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Soldier honors family, himself Mother remembers son’s humor, bravery, by SGT Nicole Paese, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
