Beaufort’s Merle Mulvaney, 87, joined the United States Army in Edinburg, Ill., in 1954 through the ROTC at the University of Illinois, graduating in 1958. He trained in artillery at Fort Sill, Okla., then as a Ranger at Fort Benning, and finally attended flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala. He was assigned to fly Chinook helicopters (CH-47) in support of Air Defense units in the East while stationed in Conn. He then transferred to the Regular Army and served at Fort Hood, Texas including deployments to Germany.
His first of three tours in Vietnam saw him near Saigon flying and maintaining CH-47 helos, including when under direct enemy fire. He returned to Fort Sill, then duty at Fort Wolters, Texas and Fort Campbell, Ky., from which he deployed to Vietnam near Da Nang and Phu Bai supporting the Marines during the Tet offensive. He next attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth before an assignment at Fort Belvoir, Va. From there he returned to Vietnam in the delta near Can Tho as Commander of the Aviation Group.
He returned to Washington to earn a Masters Degree from George Washington University before being assigned to the Pentagon on the Army Staff. Next he transferred to Fort Campbell to command the Army First Combat Helicopter Battalion. His final assignment was back in the Pentagon on the Joint staff. He retired in 1980 as a Lieutenant Colonel with 22 years of service. Thereafter he worked recruiting senior staff for corporations and in finance for a software development company. He now enjoys his life in old Beaufort.
Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 9. For Veteran Of The Week nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.
