Peg Mullen
Encyclopedia
Margaret E. Mullen best known as Peg Mullen, became an antiwar activist, after the death of her son in Vietnam
, who had been killed by shrapnel fired from friendly artillery in a 1970 incident. She became an active opponent of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
and protested against the Gulf War
and Iraq War. Her life story was made into the Emmy Award
-winning 1979 film Friendly Fire
starring Carol Burnett
, which was based on a 1976 book of the same name by Courtlandt Bryan
.
to a Catholic family, the daughter of Clair and Josephine (née Wolfe) Goodyear, she attended Sacred Heart High School, moving to Des Moines
after graduation. She was employed as a secretary in the United States Department of Labor
from 1937 to 1944.
She married Oscar Eugene "Gene" Mullen (born June 27, 1916 - died July 1986) in 1941 and lived on a family farm near La Porte City, Iowa
, supplementing her income with jobs at J. C. Penney
and Santa Claus Industries. The couple had four children: Michael, Patricia, Mary Margaret, and John Kevin. Peg Mullen was an active Democrat
who was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions held in 1964
, 1968
and 1972
. In 1972 she was a McGovern delegate. That same year she was nominated for Iowa Mother of the Year.
's description of the incident as an accident and remained skeptical even after evidence was provided to support the official story. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.
met with the Mullens in an unsuccessful attempt to address their questions, later writing in his autobiography It Doesn't Take a Hero of the double tragedy of "the needless death of a young man, and the bitterness that was consuming his parents."
With the death benefit she received from the military, Mullen purchased two half-page ads in The Des Moines Register, with the first ad featuring 714 crosses and the second with 719 to represent the number of Iowa residents killed during the war. Mullen refused a military funeral for her son, would not accept his medals, and rejected the standard grave marker offered for free by the military. Instead, she bought a tombstone that used the word "killed" (instead of "died") to describe the circumstances of his death. A letter of condolence from President of the United States
Richard M. Nixon was sent back with her note reading "Send it to the next damn fool."
during March 1976 and then released in book form that year as Friendly Fire. Bryan wrote of the unspoken sounds of pain, "the slam of a hand hitting the table in rage, the breath caught because an onrushing memory was causing too much pain."
The book was turned into the 1979 television film Friendly Fire, starring Carol Burnett
. Though best known for her screwball comedy, Burnett pursued the role after reading the script and said how in looking "back at the war now, I see how much of a waste it was", with this film being "the first time that the war has been looked at from the viewpoint of the folks at home." The production won the Emmy Award for best drama special.
She continued her anti-war activism in protesting the Gulf War
, and tried to meet with Cindy Sheehan
, a mother whose son was killed during the Iraq War, at Sheehan's protests outside George W. Bush
's Prairie Chapel Ranch
in Crawford, Texas
.
's Saint Mary's of Mount Carmel Cemetery.
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, who had been killed by shrapnel fired from friendly artillery in a 1970 incident. She became an active opponent of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and protested against the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
and Iraq War. Her life story was made into the Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning 1979 film Friendly Fire
Friendly Fire (1979 film)
Friendly Fire is an American television movie first broadcast on the ABC network on April 22, 1979. Watched that night by an estimated 64 million people, Friendly Fire went on to win four Emmy awards, including Outstanding Drama Special....
starring Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
, which was based on a 1976 book of the same name by Courtlandt Bryan
Courtlandt Bryan
Courtlandt Dixon Barnes Bryan , better known as C. D. B. Bryan, was an American author and journalist.-Biography:...
.
Early life
Born in 1917 in Pocahontas, IowaPocahontas, Iowa
Pocahontas is a city in and the county seat of Pocahontas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,789 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 1,970 population in the 2000 census.-History:...
to a Catholic family, the daughter of Clair and Josephine (née Wolfe) Goodyear, she attended Sacred Heart High School, moving to Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
after graduation. She was employed as a secretary in the United States Department of Labor
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
from 1937 to 1944.
She married Oscar Eugene "Gene" Mullen (born June 27, 1916 - died July 1986) in 1941 and lived on a family farm near La Porte City, Iowa
La Porte City, Iowa
La Porte City is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,275 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:La Porte City is located at ....
, supplementing her income with jobs at J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney
-External links:*...
and Santa Claus Industries. The couple had four children: Michael, Patricia, Mary Margaret, and John Kevin. Peg Mullen was an active Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
who was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions held in 1964
1964 Democratic National Convention
The 1964 Democratic National Convention was the 1964 presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party. It took place at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey from August 24 to 27, 1964. Incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson -- who had been Vice President under...
, 1968
1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. Because Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek a second term, the purpose of the convention was to...
and 1972
1972 Democratic National Convention
The 1972 Democratic National Convention was the presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party for the 1972 presidential election. It was held at Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida on July 10–13, 1972....
. In 1972 she was a McGovern delegate. That same year she was nominated for Iowa Mother of the Year.
Son's death in Vietnam
Her son Michael was drafted in 1968, and she would later write of her fears of being "in a quiet corner of an airport and say[ing] goodbye to a son in uniform, knowing in your heart that you'll never see him again." He was killed on February 18, 1970, from shrapnel fired by U.S. artillery. She refused to believe the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's description of the incident as an accident and remained skeptical even after evidence was provided to support the official story. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.
Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.
General Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf KCB , also known as "Stormin' Norman" and "The Bear", is a retired United States Army General who, while he served as Commander of U.S. Central Command, was commander of the Coalition Forces in the Gulf War of 1991.-Early life:Schwarzkopf was born in Trenton, New...
met with the Mullens in an unsuccessful attempt to address their questions, later writing in his autobiography It Doesn't Take a Hero of the double tragedy of "the needless death of a young man, and the bitterness that was consuming his parents."
With the death benefit she received from the military, Mullen purchased two half-page ads in The Des Moines Register, with the first ad featuring 714 crosses and the second with 719 to represent the number of Iowa residents killed during the war. Mullen refused a military funeral for her son, would not accept his medals, and rejected the standard grave marker offered for free by the military. Instead, she bought a tombstone that used the word "killed" (instead of "died") to describe the circumstances of his death. A letter of condolence from President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard M. Nixon was sent back with her note reading "Send it to the next damn fool."
Friendly Fire
Journalist Courtlandt Bryan turned the Mullen family's intense pain in the wake of her son's death into a series of articles published in three installments in The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
during March 1976 and then released in book form that year as Friendly Fire. Bryan wrote of the unspoken sounds of pain, "the slam of a hand hitting the table in rage, the breath caught because an onrushing memory was causing too much pain."
The book was turned into the 1979 television film Friendly Fire, starring Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
. Though best known for her screwball comedy, Burnett pursued the role after reading the script and said how in looking "back at the war now, I see how much of a waste it was", with this film being "the first time that the war has been looked at from the viewpoint of the folks at home." The production won the Emmy Award for best drama special.
Personal
Mullen wrote the 1995 autobiography Unfriendly Fire: A Mother's Memoir, which added dozens of letters from her son and laid out her continuing doubts about the circumstances of her son's death.She continued her anti-war activism in protesting the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, and tried to meet with Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan is an American anti-war activist whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift camp outside President...
, a mother whose son was killed during the Iraq War, at Sheehan's protests outside George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's Prairie Chapel Ranch
Prairie Chapel Ranch
Prairie Chapel Ranch is a 1,583 acre ranch in unincorporated McLennan County, Texas, located seven miles northwest of Crawford. The property was acquired by President George W...
in Crawford, Texas
Crawford, Texas
Crawford is a town located in western McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is best known as the home of former President of the United States George W. Bush. He currently resides at the Prairie Chapel Ranch, which is located just outside Crawford, Texas....
.
Death
Peg Mullen died on October 2, 2009, aged 92, in La Porte City. She was survived by two daughters, a son, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Her resting place is located in WaterlooWaterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
's Saint Mary's of Mount Carmel Cemetery.