Lest We Forget
Name: John Paul McMillian, Jr. War: World War II
Rank: Wiper (B23) Branch: U. S. Coast Guard
Unit: SS Gulfpenn
Circumstance: The SS Gulfpenn went down 30 miles from the entrance to the Mississippi River, at coordinates 28 degrees 29 minutes North – 89 degrees 12 minutes West - 295 miles from DeRidder, on a bearing of 117 degrees. John Paul McMillian Jr. worked as a "wiper" in the engine room when the SS Gulfpenn (an oil tanker) was hit by the torpedo, fired by the German submarine 506. The ship sank by the stern in five minutes The Gulfpenn was an oil tanker bound for Philadelphia from Port Arthur.
Date born: August 05, 1917
Place born: Merryville, LA
Date died: May 13, 1942
How died: Killed in action
Place died: Gulf of Mexico
Place buried: Lost at sea
Home place: Paul McMillian Road
School(s): Merryville High School and Southwestern La. Institute (now USL) where his name is on a plaque
Affiliations: Calvary Baptist Church in Merryville
Interests: Hunting
Spouse: None
Children: None
Parents: John Paul McMillian & Cordelia McMillian
Siblings: Ray – William – Virgie Marze – Myra Cryar – Betty Cole
Comment: USCG members have “equivalent military active duty under P.L. 95-202”
Well-documented information provided by: His brother Ray McMillian
Date
printed: