Edward O'Dell Mullins, Jr.
Private First Class, U.S. Army

Edward O'Dell Mullins, Jr. was born on 24 September 1920 in Morrow, OH.

Mullins began his service in the military when he enlisted in the Army in November 1944 at the age of 24, even though he was eligible for a farm laborer's deferment and could have avoided military service. Sent into the Philippines in May 1945 as a replacement, Mullins served with distinction in combat and received a Bronze Star for his actions in July 1945, when he helped to eliminate two Japanese machine gun positions.

Mullins was serving as a Private First Class in Company A, 1st Battalion, with the 128th Infantry Regiment of the 32nd Division (also known as the "Red Arrow Division") when he was shot by a Japanese sniper during a surprise attack. The 32nd Division was pursuing Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita in the mountains of north central Luzon in the Philippines when Mullins was killed on the morning of 14 August 1945. During the attack, he rose from his position when his platoon leader gave an order to pull back. He fell to the ground when he was shot and died instantly at approximately 6:15 a.m. near Bagabag in the Cagayan Valley. Forty-five minutes later, the order to cease hostilities was announced to the American and Filipino forces on Luzon.

Mullins was the last American combat fatality during World War II.

Medals and Awards

Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart (Posthumous award)

Death and Burial

Private First Class Edward O'Dell Mullins, Jr. died on 14 August 1945 at Luzon in the Philippine Islands. He is buried at Morrow Cemetery in Morrow, OH.

He was repatriated to the U.S. for burial in his hometown of Morrow, OH. On Veterans Day in 1997, Mullins was honored and a new shiny black granite marker, six feet in height, was placed at his grave, replacing a small flat stone marker. The purpose of the tall marker was to make his grave easier to identify for the many World War II veterans who came to Morrow to visit his final resting place.