POW Memories

   I am writing to let you know what I feel for the hostages. I was a paratrooper with the 508th Parachute Inf Headquarters 2nd Battalion during World War II I was one of the men with General Gavin who jumped into France four hours minus D Day but only lasted 17 hours in combat We were captured and I spent eleven and a half months in a German Prisoner of War Camp.
   I know it must be trying on those people as I saw what it did to a lot of our boys But I made the most of it and never gave up hope of being liberated by our forces which happened on April 30 1945 A great day for all of us POWs.

[The Modesto Bee, Modesto, CA, 14 May 1980, Wed, Page 12]

MULVIHILL

   In Modesto, November 29 1980, Joseph Peter Mulvihill husband of Rose Mulvihill of Modesto father of Richard Mulvihill of Orlando Fla., Patricia Woolsey, Janet Mulvihill, Denise Mulvihill, Maureen Mulvihill and Joseph P Mulvihill Jr/. all of Modesto and Marion Mulvihill of New York NY;  brother of Robert Mulvihill, Marion Kuhn and Beatrice Mulvihill all of New York; grandfather of Kerri Rose Mulvihill and Joseph Peter Mulvihill both of Orlando Fla. and Colleen Rose Pegan of Modesto.
   A native of Patterson [sic], NJ, age 60 years.
   Private services were held at SALAS BROTHERS Funeral Chapel 419 Scenic Drive. Inurnment, Orlando, Florida

Pvt Mulvihill was transferred from Hq Field Force Replacement Depot #8 to Company F, 508th PIR on 5 April 1944.

He was captured on D-day, 6 June 1944 sane 10 days later he was listed in the Rennes, France hospital with a "Penetrating wound middle third left thigh."  He was one of the passengers that survived the unfortunate strafing of the so-called Rennes POW train by Allied aircraft.

Joseph was liberated from Stalag 7A at the lose of hostilities.

He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge for action during Normandy, France Campaign, from 6 June 1944.