Thomas Mullen

Thomas Mullen, age 75, of Stafford, Virginia passed away on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. Tom is survived by his wife, Suhair; his daughter, Andrea; his son, Michael Mullen (Rishy); his grandson, Ian Caldwell, his brother, Carl (Dick) Mullen (Michelle), and his half-brothers, Dan Wilbur (Judy) and Joe Wilbur. On the tombstone are two dates that tell us Birth and Death. Between them, the dash. That dash is the story of our lives. So many times, finally, when someone would sit down with Tom, he would start the conversation with, “Tell me a story.” This is Tom’s story. Born in Danville,IL, at St. Elizabeth Hospital. The first son of Carl and Genevieve Mullen. His first nine years were spent in the countryside of Veedersburg, IN. He was joined in his life’s journey 15 months later by a little brother. Life was good; we had chickens, pigs, cows, and a very large garden – plus a lot of barn cats. I guess your first story was the time you caught a barn cat holding it at arm’s length as it flailed away. You decided to tuck it under your shirt. The outcome was obvious. But you brought us to tears laughing for the next 60 years telling that story. He attended Sterling and the Veedersburg grade schools. At the age of 9, you moved to Lafayette with your mom and brother. He attended Oakland and Edgelea elementary schools. His half-brothers, Joe and Dan, joined the family. In junior high school, he joined the band and played the trumpet, then on to Jefferson High School. His first job was at McDonald’s, during which time he got his driver’s license and later lost it due to tickets less than a year later. Your senior year, you and your brother moved back to Veedersburg to live with your dad and finish high school. He often said that that was the best year of his life in school. He was the last person to graduate from Veedersburg, as he was the tallest in his class, and students were lined up by height. The next year the school was consolidated. At this point, your life changed. Up to this point, you always said you wanted to be in the army. You had taken German in school with hopes of going to Europe. You enlisted right out of high school, off to Fort Leonard Wood for basic training where even though you wore glasses and couldn’t see well without them, you set the highest score on the rifle range that stood for years. We guess our dad training us to hunt and shoot paid off. Next was Fort Devens for advanced training. You asked to be sent to Europe; surprise, the army sent you to Homestead Air Base in south Florida. Not happy there; you requested Vietnam in 1966 as the war was heating up. Stationed at Phu Bai with the 509th radio Research company. Volunteering to train the south Vietnam troops about and how to use the weapons we were giving them. You spent 66-67-68 in that country experiencing the Tet of 68 and getting blown up by a rocket, damaging your hearing in your left ear. A high point was when Bill Harrison, who was with the first Calvary division at Phu-Bai found you and took you to see Freddy McCullen and was with the marines in Phu-Bai. Three young men who graduated in 65 and 66 from a small town of fewer than 2,000 people ended up halfway around the world a mile apart. When you came home, the army sent you to Vint Hill Farm (Yes, that was a real army base), serving the rest of your commitment to the Army. Once out, you came back to Lafayette, IN, where you enrolled at Purdue University, signing up in the R.O.T.C. program. He also worked a variety of part-time jobs. He was a Big Brother to a young man. He earned a B.S. and later a master’s degree, both in Economics. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the army. He applied for active duty and was turned down. The war was ending, and the military was cutting back its size. So, over the next 31 years, he served in the reserves or national guard unit taking as much active-duty time as he could. Getting activated with his unit, he deployed to Desert Storm in 1991, his second war. All in all, he would serve in the army for 35 years, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Yet before all of that, he had to make a living. With his degrees in hand, he was hired as a purchasing agent at Accurate Parts in Kokomo, IN. During his time there, he would marry his wife, Rita. Over the next 16 years, his family grew with a daughter, Andrea, and a son, Michael. He would change jobs for various reasons, trying to improve his income, cutbacks, the old last in first out, getting fired, and companies closing. He worked for Hyster in Danville, IL., American Air Filter in Louisville, KY., and Marble Hill Nuclear Power Hill in the building stage. Coming back to Lafayette, he worked in his brother’s store – Aardvark Bedrooms, and taught Economics at Indiana Business College and Ivy Tech. He acted as a recruiter for Purdue R.O.C.T. He worked in a factory making wiring harnesses on a night shift in a pallet factory. Another deployment that would change his life was being sent to Bosnia. He learned about government contracting. This would place him in the Republic of Georgia, Germany (you made it!), and Afghanistan. Coming back to the states, he moved to Virginia and decided to start a new life. That’s when he met and married Suhair (SuSu). Over the years,you traveled the world, going to England, Scotland, Ireland, most of Europe, Korea, and Japan. You also saw most of the United States, and in your later years, you started writing. You published two book series - Little Friends and a 4-volume series about World War II Fighter Planes. And the Manor - a historical fiction about a family in 12th century England. His early dream came true he was a soldier and got to Germany. Just not in the order he wanted. He was a son, brother, student, soldier, husband, father, uncle, teacher, friend, author, and world traveler. A life so many would love to have. So, until we meet again, so you can say tell me a story, I hope I have told yours. Love, your Brother! A visitation for Thomas will be held Sunday, January 22, 2023 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Mullins & Thompson Funeral Service, 186 Shelton Shop Rd, Stafford, Virginia 22554. A graveside service will occur Monday, January 23, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Quantico National Cemetery, 18424 Joplin Road, Triangle, VA. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Tom's name to the Friends of the Library - Stafford or Fauquier. Friends of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library 125 Olde Greenwich Drive, Suite 150, Fredericksburg, VA 22408 Friends of the Fauquier Library Donate online via credit card through your online library account or send a check, payable to Fauquier County Public Library, along with a completed donation form (PDF) to Kim Klepatzki, Fauquier County Public Library, 11 Winchester St., Warrenton, VA 20186. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mullinsthompsonstafford.com for the Mullen family.