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<p><em>John Patrick McMullen Jr.</em> was born on March 23, 1953 in Norristown, PA, the son of John and Mary McMullen. Growing up in Norristown, he graduated from Bishop Kenrick High School, where he made lifetime friends with the members of his 1971 high school championship football team. They shared laughs and memories throughout the years on the golf course, hunting trips, social outings, and vacationing around the world.</p>
<p>Appointed to West Point, John became a staunch B-2 “Bulldog.” He played 150-pound football for Army with a passion, many times on the “suicide squads,” and earned three stars by beating Navy three times! He was always an avid sportsman and athlete and lustily cheered for the Army team. John was known for his hairy frame, and during one Army-Navy Game a cadet was spotted by the cameras with his dress coat off and a large Army “A” shaved on his chest. While confessing no sins in public, from that time onward John was known by the nickname “Hairy.” He enjoyed cadet life, hopping to Europe with classmates on summer leave and living large. His distinctive marching style was entertainment for all; no one could forget his rocking, lurching gait at parades, with his tarbucket pompom wagging side to side.</p>
<p>At USMA, John met his lovely bride, JoAnn (nee Karczewski). Married in 1977, their first duty station was West Berlin. They treasured their time in Germany and returned there in 2017 to relive fond memories. John and JoAnn shared a love of traveling throughout their entire marriage of 45 years.</p>
<p>John’s Army career spanned 25 years and included multiple commands, honors, and overseas deployments. He served in the 7th Special Forces Group, where his duties focused on the Latin America region. He held many senior positions and commands, including service as the commander of Joint Task Force Bravo in Honduras, the deputy chief of staff of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, NC, and as the chief of the J-3 Counterproliferation and Counterterrorism Division, Joint Staff. His fellow soldiers and classmates regarded him as a “Soldier’s Soldier,” a man who was always in the fight.</p>
<p>However, John was most proud of his service in El Salvador during 1987-88, where he served in combat as the senior advisor to the Salvadoran Army’s 4th Military Zone and 4th Infantry Brigade. He advised, trained, and fought alongside Salvadoran forces as they waged a counterinsurgency campaign against guerilla forces. He participated in four separate offensive campaigns, earning the Combat Infantryman Badge and an Army Commendation Award with “V” device for valor.</p>
<p>One of John’s lifelong passions was helping veterans receive awards and recognition. In the following decade, John fought to obtain official recognition for those who saw combat in El Salvador. Because of his efforts, dozens of soldiers who had previously been denied recognition for their sacrifices received official awards and commendations. He later initiated and oversaw the construction of a Special Forces memorial stone at Valley Forge National Historical Park, PA in 1999 to commemorate those fallen warriors.</p>
<p>He also worked to draft federal legislation to extend combat commendations to unrecognized servicemen from World War II and the Korean War. John was particularly proud of helping to secure long-denied wartime service recognition for his father and a Purple Heart for his late uncle.</p>
<p>Following Army retirement, John took on numerous senior roles with the U.S. government. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and soon served as the senior Department of Homeland Security official in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. John later served with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and the Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency. He also managed several high-profile business development and security-related positions in the private sector until his full retirement in 2019.</p>
<p>After fully retiring, the irrepressible Hairy became a valued member of the Special Forces Association. He took great pride in attending military funerals at Arlington. Golf also became a passion for John, and he played regularly in two different golf leagues. An avid hunter and shooter, he often traveled to his hunting “camp” in central Virginia, where he harvested innumerable white tail deer while enjoying a campfire and good bourbon with his friends and classmates. John also traveled to Africa on safari and proved his hunting prowess on several trips, returning with many trophies.</p>
<p>John died peacefully in his sleep on May 27, 2022 from cardiac issues related to heart arrythmia. His children include daughter Amy Harber and his son Sean. He also had a much-loved grandson, Colton; sisters, Rosemary McMullen and Patricia Giambrone (nee McMullen); and numerous nieces, nephews, and cherished friends. He was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Melissa, who lies with him in the West Point Cemetery.</p>
<p>John was a great friend to all. His larger-than-life personality energized and inspired all who knew him. He was a devout Catholic and a man of great faith, which guided him throughout his life. He never missed an opportunity to spend time with family, and he particularly relished becoming “Pop Pop” (grandfather). Though his passing was a source of great sadness to his family, classmates, and friends, we can all rejoice in having known him. May he rest in peace, in the arms of the Lord; we salute him. And in memoriam, John, may it be said, “Well Done; Be Thou at Peace.”</p>
<p><em>— His classmates and family</em></p>
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