Tracy E. Mulligan, Jr.
Biographical Timeline
To 1970

Date
Event
Location
Notes



Father, Tracy Ellsworth Mulligan, living in Colorado: Admitted to Colorado Bar: Mulligan, Tracy E.; Denver; 1914 Mar 4, File No. 459.
Sep. 25, 1917
Born in Denver. CO, taken home to Golden, CO
Denver, Colorado
Tracy Ellsworth Mulligan, Jr., Born at Mercy Hospital, Denver, Colorado. Parents: Tracy Ellsworth Mulligan, Sr (Jan. 12(?), 1880 - Apr. 24, 1963) and Annette Royal Boswell Mulligan (Oct. 14, 18?? - 198?).  Parents living in Golden, Colorado.


DC
Move to DC


DC
Father builds house at 3916 Northampton Street, NW, Washington, DC. Phone number is (eventually) EMerson 3-2310.


DC
Starts at
Blessed Sacrament Elementary School.
Gets extremely sick one month into school year; convalesces for rest of year.
Chautaqua Desk.
Skips grades.
DC Public School.
Western High School. Junior ROTC (?) member. Friends with Birch Eakin.

Sep 1933- Jun 1937 ??
GW
DC
Off to college at age 15, just before 16th birthday.
College. On All-American Rifle team. Friends with Frank Philips..
Sep 1937- Jun 1940 ??
GW Law
DC
Meets Laura Harris Ellis in Equestrian Club (or as undergrad??).
1940 ??
1941 ??
First job
VA
Inspector for Wage and Hour in Virginia.
Nov. 27, 1941
Wedding (age 24)
Richmond, VA
Marries Miss Laura Harris Ellis (b. April 19, 1918; d. August 31, 1990).
Dec.7, 1941
Pearl Harbor

(Before this, Laura used to play tennis with the daughter of the Japanese ambassador.)
Mar. 1942
Drafted
Ft. Lee, Petersburg, VA
Boot camp 90 days; Officer Candidate School (OCS) 90 days->Commisioned Second Lieutenant in the Army of the United States (AUS) (name for wartime, non-Regular Army).
Sep. 1942
First assignment
Charleston, SC

Feb. 1943 (??)
Sent to CA
Colton, CA

About 80 miles due east of LA
"I was quartered in a pyramidial tent with three others. There had been a severe flood the previous year in Colton [Colton, CA Wiki entry] and San Bernadino, and the sand was so high you sometimes couldn't see people on the sidewalk. The sand had spread out two or three feet deep next to the stream that had flooded."

The unit was "7th Major Port" [7th Transportation Major Port in Korean Was] support HQ company (700 men) headed by an ex-Marine, now Army Captain, Norbert Lorz (who had been an enlisted man in the Marines, and served in Haiti). HQ company had staff, cooks, maintenance, etc. The rest of unit was spread out along the Atchison & Santa Fe Railroad from Yuma Arizona.

Patton's Army was undergoing final field training prior to going to North Africa.

Had control over support operation of Port. The 7th Major Port was  intended to be a mobile port that could be set up anywhere it was deep enough. So, it was an ideal way to support Patton's training.

The Port was set up outside of Los Angeles. Every 15 or so miles along the railroad supply depots were set up and resupplied daily. Supply trucks would arrive from the army units and receive supplies to support training every day.

Railroad man said "Barstow and Hell are separated by a screen door."

Laura joined him there after about two months. He was luckly and got a really nice apartment in Colton - 4 apts in a nice new building that was avialble for rent. One of the nicest in Colton.  "Rent was horrible, almost $30 per month!"
Sep. 1943 (??)
Leaves for England via Taunton
Taunton, MA
"Heat Wave Broken; Temperature drops to 103" (from 120 degrees F.). Leaves in wool uniform on train for trip to Taunton, MA, staging area for deployment to England. Staged in Taunton for several weeks to several months.
Jan. 1944 (??)
Leaves for England
England
Embarks on Empress of Australia. As officer, has good quarters. Impressed by dining service and the amount of silverware on the table. Excellent food. Staff apologizes they can only serve two meals a day.
1944-1946
Quartermaster Corps in England
England
In England. (Ireland and Scotland). Helps supervise the unloading of the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth. When in the hold, makes sure to stand back at the edge of the hold, not underneath the cargo nets.
1946
45-day R&R to U.S.
England to US
Boat to U.S. (10,000 ton Carribean ship pressed into troopship service). Small for the North Atlantic.
1946
Return to Europe: Germany
Germany
Flies to Germany. Laura follows by boat.
1946-47
In Germany
Germany
In Frankfurt
June 1947
Return to States
DC
Boat with Laura (6 months pregnant). Timing dictated because wives are not allowed to travel if more than 6 months pregnant. Commander of troops on ship. Hold daily staff meeting. Strict guard stations used to prevent problems with troops.
Sep. 17, 1947
Tracy Ellis born
Washington, DC.
Tracy Ellis Mulligan born in Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington, DC.
1947-49
In DC area; OQMG
DC (Virginia)
Living in Arlington. In Office of the Quartermaster General (OQMG), possibly Office of Graves Registration, just outside Ft. McNair, VA.
Laura writes of Sunday drive to see the new Hecht Co. building in Silver Spring, MD.
1949-1951
Univ. of Mich. MBA
Ann Arbor, Michagan
In MBA program at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michagan.
1951-1953
Quartermaster Corp, NY
White Plains (Yonkers?), New York.
Living in White Plains/Yonkers (??). Working in NYC (?). Takes  train to work. Helps plan ordering and stockpiling of materials, such as canvas to make tents. Master of paper spreadsheets!
Jan. 29, 1952
John Robert born
St. Albans Naval Hospital
John Robert Mulligan born at St. Alban's Naval Hospital. Laura travels to hospital in snowstorm.
1953-54
Ft. Lee, Petersburg, VA
Petersburg, VA
Quartermaster School?

Ellis Appointment with Eisenhower June 30, 1954, 7:00 pm
1954-55
Command and General Staff School
Leavenworth, KS
Command and General Staff School, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. (Tracy Ellis goes to school with David Eisenhower, grandson of President Dwight Eisenhower; Secret Service agents outside classroom door.)
Sep. 1955 - Aug. 1957 (approx.)
Assignment to Japan
Camp Zama near Tokyo, Japan. Family near DC.
Fly to Japan.
Assigment to Camp Zama, near Tokyo, Japan. Laura, Tracy Ellis, John live on Stewart Driveway in North Chevy Chase, MD.
Ship back from Japan (Yokahoma, Japan to Seattle, WA). Carries one gallon container of Kikoman Soy Sauce received a farewell present at last minute.
1957-1960
ROTC instructor at MIT. Summers at Camp Perry.
Boston, MA (summers at Camp Perry, Ohio)
Move from DC area to Boston area. Teach ROTC at M.I.T in Cambridge, MA. Live at 238 Wilson Road, Nahant, MA. John starts Kindergarten at the Johnson School on Nahant. Tracy Ellis at Valley Road School (Jr. High) on Nahant.
Summers: 1958 - Deputy (title?) Statistical Director of National Rifle Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, on Lake Erie, near Port Clinto, OH.
1959 and 1960: Statistical Directory of National Rifle Matches. Mobile Data Processing Unit consists of several moving vans with IBM punch card equipment.
1960-1963
Quartermaster Battallion Commander, 3rd Armored Division
Frankfurt, Germany

Heidelberg, Germany.
Oct. 1960 to Nov. 1963 (approx).
By boat NY, NY to Bremerhaven, Germany on the U.S.N.S. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner.
Two years: Battalion Commander in Frankfurt. Live "on the economy" on Zeilerstrasse for 3 months. Maneuvers on Christmas Eve, 1960. Then in apartment on Army Base in Frankfurt.Then in a duplex on base.
One year: Staff in Heidelberg. Live in apartment (in Mark Twain village??).
Return on U.S.N.S. Alexander M. Patch. and Photos here
1963-1966
Army Reserve staff
Pentagon.
Buy house at 2808 Blaine Drive, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Commute
1966-67
Vietnam
Saigon, Vietnam
Fly to Vietnam.
Live in quarters in hotel in Saigon. Work at Ton Son Nhut airport.
Fly back from Vietnam.
1968-1970
Defense Logistics Agency (??)
Cameron Station, VA
Buy 1967 VW bug for $1600.
1970
Retires from Army
Pentagon
Retires from Army with retirement ceremony at Pentagon.
1970
Bar Review Course for Maryland Bar.

Becomes member of Maryland Bar. Sets up law practice.