Copyright 2006 The Baltimore Sun Company
By CHRIS GUY
The Baltimore Sun (Maryland)
Michael J. McMullen, a Maryland Army National Guard truck driver who died Jan. 10 of wounds he suffered on Christmas Eve when two roadside bombs exploded in Iraq, has been posthumously awarded the Silver Star for gallantry under fire while saving a fellow soldier.
McMullen, who in civilian life was a firefighter and paramedic in the Salisbury Fire Department, also was awarded a Purple Heart and posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, according to a statement released yesterday by the Maryland National Guard.
McMullen, 25, pulled a fellow truck driver from a burning vehicle, extinguishing flames with his body and protecting the injured man before being wounded himself by another bomb blast.
“This award is for gallantry in action, gallantry in a hostile situation,” said Maj. Charles S. Kohler, a Guard spokesman. “He truly gave his life for a fellow soldier.”
A funeral service for McMullen is scheduled for 7 o’clock tonight at Emmanuel Wesleyan Church in Salisbury. He will be buried at 2 p.m. tomorrow in Arlington National Cemetery.