James William Mulder was born on September 13, 1922, in Orange City, Sioux County, Iowa. He was married to Mary Ann Mulder. He served in the 562nd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group, as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner of B-17 (42-102485) nicknamed 'Bare Essentials' during World War II.

On May 28, 1944, while on a mission to bomb Dessau, Germany, the aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire (flak), causing a fire on board. Despite the crew’s efforts to control the situation, they were forced to crash-land near Groenekan in the Netherlands. Several crew members lost their lives, while the survivors were captured and taken as prisoners of war. During this period, the group carried out numerous strategic bombing missions across Europe.

SSgt Mulder was among those captured and taken as a prisoner of war. He was held at Stalag Luft 4 in Pomerania, Prussia. After the war, he worked as a lineman for Arizona Public Service Co. for 30 years before retiring. SSgt Mulder died on August 10, 2011, and is now buried in the Eloy Memorial Park, Eloy, Pinal County, Arizona, USA.

Source of information: b17flyingfortress.de, aad.archives.gov