Corporal Tony Mullis
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Corporal Tony Mullis was born in 1990 to parents in Hawkinsville Georgia. During Tony’s senior year of high school, he met with armed services recruiters considering a career in the military. Shortly after, he sat with his mother and father as they signed below his name for he was 17 at the time. Tony left for Marine Recruit Depot Parris Island South Carolina in September 2008, completing training and receiving his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, graduating from recruit to Marine in 12th December 2008. While on leave he married his wife Jeanie. When leave was up Tony was sent to Camp Giger in North Carolina for Marine Combat Training (MCT). Once completing MCT Tony was assigned to move to Camp Lejeune North Carolina to the school of Engineers. After completing Engineer school Cpl. Mullis received orders to his first new duty station on Camp Lejeune with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion. Oct. 2009 Tony flew for the first time heading to Afghanistan, for his Unit 2ndCEB received a 7 month deployment order. While on Deployment Tony conducted daily routine patrols on which he would find over a dozen Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), as well as weapons, and ammunition piles; being awarded The Navy and Marine Achievement metal. While on deployment Tony also conducted multiple operations with 2nd and 4th Light Armor Reconnaissance (LAR) Marines. In April 2010, Tony’s first deployment came to an end and it was back to the training preparing for the next tour.
In May of 2011, Tony left for his 2nd tour to Afghanistan, only this time he was leaving Jeanie and his unborn child they picked the name Cason for. While on the travels to Afghanistan stop after stop Tony called as often as he could but once at his combat outpost in Sangin Valley Afghanistan, communication was kept to a minimum and only using a sat phone when they had it. Tony conducted patrols every day making sure his junior Marines where confident in conducted patrols. Tony was able to locate multiple IEDs in just a few days doing routine patrols with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5) and 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. On the night of April 5th 2011, Tony made that call to his wife only to ask his wife “what’s he look like?” as he heard his first child cry over the phone. After telling them both I love you, he went back to tell his brother the great news. The next day started out just like every other day with a routine patrol but this morning was special, Tony felt on top of the world as a new dad, not knowing what was in store! On his patrol he was asked to check out and abandoned compound. Due to safety at the top they stayed clear of the doors and set up a ladder to climb over the 10’+ mud wall on to the top of a mud hut. As Tony climbed down the latter to search the empty huts, he found nothing on the first one and asked his junior Marine down to help. Tony followed a little brick trail using his metal detector and site to look for any signs of an IED. Tony noticed a trail indent going into the 2nd hut and began searching for a positive id of an IED before calling EOD. Tony stuck his prob easily into the earth and finding a white wire leading in to two different directions. As his Marine was posted up for security for the moment, Tony asked him to check his counter in which a brown wire was found. Tony told everyone not to move as he walked carefully back to the Patrol commander and advise them that the IED could not be found but a positive id was made and that EOD need to be called in. As Tony walked back to his Marine he noticed something through a window and searched his way close enough to pull up his scope to get a closer looking. Unable to see exactly what it was and feeling uneasy Tony decided to back away.
However, Tony went to step back causing earth to pack and setting off a victim operated I.E.D. which caused amputation of his left leg above the knee and right leg below the knee. Tony stayed concuss until the EVAC took him to the military hospital in Afghanistan. From there he woke to being moved from one hospital to the next till he was finally transported to Walter Reed Medical Center to recover, upon arrival he was met by his wife and 5 day old Cason. 14 months later Tony was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in June of 2012.
After his discharge Tony retired to Middle Georgia. There he and Jeanie had another boy named Owen July 7th 2015. Tony has coached his oldest, Cason’s baseball team since t-ball. And Has taken both his sons on a successful deer hunt. Till this day Tony still does activities both with his family and helping other non-profit teaching other amputees how to wake surf and wake board both on prosthetics and with adaptive boards.