James Allen Mulder

SGT in 3132nd Signal Service Co : 2nd Platoon

Born 1924 in NE, Died 2010

Other residence(s): Salem, NE; Vesta, NE; Roca, NE; Bennet, NE; Hickman, NE; Lincoln, NE

United States Army, European Theatre of Operations

Notes: Rank per 1945 newspaper article

Source: W. Anderson Notes; 603rd reunion mailing list; Post War Sonic List from Bill Anderson; 3132 Pine Camp Photo Names; photo courtesy Jay Mulder

Jim Mulder was born on August 4, 1924 in Salem, NE, the elder of two sons. His father was a station agent for the railroad, and the family moved several times as his father was assigned new station responsibilities—first to Vesta, and later to Roca, NE (outside of Lincoln, NE).

Jim graduated from Roca High School in 1942, and registered for the draft six months later, on December 11, 1942. Jim had followed in his father's footsteps and gone to work for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy RR in Humboldt. He enlisted sometime in 1943; when his engagement to Bonnie Louise Wiley was announced in November, 1943 he was in the Army and stationed at the University of Chicago, probably as part of the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP); he also studied at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln during this period.

This photo is the one that Jim's wife carried in her purse during his time overseas; courtesy Jay Mulder

He was eventually assigned to the 3132 Signal Service Company; by May, 1944, he had been promoted to the rank of CPL and on May 17, 1944 he and Bonnie married in Marysville, KS.

He was promoted to the rank of SGT by December, 1944. After returning from Europe he went back to work for the railroad and he and Bonnie moved in with her parents in Bennett, NE. (Bonnie's father was also a station agent with the railroad). By 1946 they'd gotten their own place in Nebraska City, and they would become the parents of three children: Roxie, Daniel, and James.

In 1947, the family moved to Hickman where Jim had been appointed the station agent. He stayed with the railroad for 15 years, but eventually earned a real estate license, and the family settled in Lincoln, NE.

Jim was very successful in real estate, moving gradually through various licensing designations and certifications. He was an owner of Regal Real Estate in Lincoln, which merged with Home Real Estate in 1994. Jim served on the Lincoln Board of Realtors, eventually becoming President of the Board in 1989. He was also active in the Nebraska and National Realtors' Associations. He continued to work in real estate until 2004, the year he turned 80.

Jim (center) and his Army buddies (including John R. Zeutenhorst on the right, a lifelong friend from the Ghost Army) on a trip to Europe to revisit old haunts; courtesy Jay Mulder

He was a longtime member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, where he served as Elder, Deacon, and Superintendent of Sunday Schools. He also served as Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge in Hickman, and was Captain of the Motor Corp and Circus Director for the Sesostris Shrine in Lincoln. He also enjoyed traveling, fishing, and bowling, and was an orchestrator of the 3132 Ghost Army reunions, held in Watertown, NY.

Jim died on August 28, 2010 at a nursing home in Hiawatha where he had lived for the last year and a half of his life. He was buried at Cheney Cemetery in Cheney, NE with full military honors (courtesy of the Nebraska National Guard) and also has a mausoleum at Westminster Presbyterian.