‘Epitome of the warrior patriot’: Veteran held captive in Vietnam for 7-plus years laid to rest in Virginia Beach
By Caitlyn Burchett
The Virginian-Pilot
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Feb 08, 2023 at 5:30 pm
VIRGINIA BEACH — Former prisoners of war Cmdr. George Coker and Rear Adm. Bob Shumaker tapped a final “good night and God bless” to Capt. James Mulligan Jr. But this time, they tapped the coded message to their cellmate of seven years on a church pew rather than the walls of a Vietnamese prison.
More than 400 people gathered Wednesday at Virginia Beach’s Church of the Holy Family for the funeral Mass of the retired Navy captain, celebrating Mulligan’s life and honoring the hell he endured.
“I thank you, Dad, for your love, sage advice, your example, your encouragement, your friendship — and for making it home. But most of all, thank you for your steadfast service and sacrifice and for serving as an example to all to never quit and never waiver when defending the American creed,” said James “Jim” Mulligan III during his father’s service.
Mulligan, who was 96 when he died Jan. 18, was one of three of the remaining “Alcatraz 11″ — American service members held captive for more than seven years by the North Vietnamese. Singled out as troublemakers, they were taken from the main prison complex in Hanoi and boarded in solitary confinement at a building the Americans dubbed Alcatraz.
https://www.pilotonline.com/military/vp-nw-james-mulligan-pow-20230208-aztffg4ijncbdj6r4plgdkveum-story.html
