Col. Albert Maxwell Mullen Jr.

Col. Albert Maxwell Mullen, Jr., US Air Force (Ret.), age 94, died at his home on Saturday, October 25th. Known to his friends as Maxie, his Air Force Call sign was “Moon”. His father was a long-time Newport dentist and during World War 2, Dr. Mullen served in the Army Air Corps for five years in San Antonio, TX. Maxie attended Newport Grammar School and graduated from Cocke County High School in 1949. Following high school, he attended Tennessee Tech and enlisted in the Air Force shortly before graduation, later completing the necessary hours for his bachelor’s degree. He earned a graduate degree from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (now Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy), Washington, DC. He entered the military during the Korean War and served a total of twenty-three years. He was stationed in Korea, Japan, Formosa, Okinawa, Philippines and Vietnam with postings in Delaware, New York, Idaho, Colorado, California, Washington, DC and Lubbock Texas. As a pilot he flew 17 different aircraft with 5300 flying hours. He flew over 200 combat missions in Vietnam, 100 of which were in North Vietnam, accruing 446 combat hours in the F-4 Phantom. He earned the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, fifteen Oak Leaf clusters and various other medals. One of the highlights of Maxie’s military career was piloting the lead jet in the Air Force Flyover during the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Following retirement in 1976, he and his family returned to Cocke County, and he was employed ten years with Stokely-Van Camp, which later became Quaker. At present, he was the longest member of First United Methodist Church, having joined in 1941, and he was the last surviving member of the old Methodist Episcopal Church. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. A.M. Mullen and Alice Cathey Mullen, Father and Mother in-law Edward F. Hurd (Newell Hooper Hurd), sister Alice Mullen Bradley (Robert D. Bradley) as well as sister-in-law Jane Ferree. Survivors include wife Frances Mae Hurd, son Bert Mullen (wife Janie Mullen), Newport, and daughter Missy (husband Marvin Prewitt), Englewood, FL. Grandchildren Hannah (fiancé' Justin Hicks) and Emma Mullen, Kelley (husband Shannon Moore). Great-granddaughter Averley Moore, Newport. Sister Olivia Mullen White and husband Jim, Jackson, TN. Sisters-in-law Annabelle Hurd Hendersonville NC, Sandra Scott Nashville TN and many nieces and nephews. Graveside services and burial will be held 1:00 pm Thursday, October 30, 2025, in Union Cemetery, with Rev. David Woody officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to First United Methodist Church or a charity of choice. Family and friends may sign the guest register online at: www.manefuneralhome.com. Arrangements with Manes Funeral Home.

Col. Albert Maxwell Mullen Jr.

August 7, 1931 - October 25, 2025