Christmas in the Trenches

Tragedy and Joy: Indelible Memories of 1974

By former Police Chief Mark Spawn

One of my mentors as a new cop in upstate, New York was Lt. Larry Mullen (Fulton PD/Ret.). A former military man (U.S. Army 1963-1966), he exuded professionalism. I was fortunate to work on his crew in my early years at Fulton PD. He retired in the 1980’s and has since relocated to Florida. Each year around Christmas, he shares the story of one of the most memorable times of his career – the delivery of twins. But on that fateful Christmas of 1974, the joy of bringing new life into the world was preceded by the carnage of a multi-fatal head-on DWI crash, as well as a separate accident that critically injured a State Trooper, both crashes occurring in the hours preceding the maternity call.

Lt. Mullen remembered, “When we came on duty for the midnight shift, we were all told that a beloved State Trooper had been injured while investigating an accident.” Trooper Larry Wood (NYSP Fulton) had been struck in the head by the mirror of a passing truck. “That was heartbreaking,” said Mullen, saying that Trooper Wood was well-known in the region and liked by all.

Mullen went on patrol for the Christmas shift, ready for whatever holiday calls awaited him and his colleagues. He told me, “It was just around midnight when we got called to the city limits, finding a two-car wreck. A drunk driver struck a vehicle head-on, killing the occupants – a young mother along with her three children ranging in age from 1 to 5 years old, and her grandfather. “They were incinerated, not even recognizable as human,” Mullen recalled. He said that the crash occurred just feet outside of the jurisdiction of Fulton PD, so they awaited the State Police who came to investigate the crash. The DWI driver sustained a broken leg, he recalled. While on the scene of the gruesome collision, Mullen said he received a radio call for a woman in labor on the other side of the city. “I broke away from the crash scene and went to the Clark home. When I ran in the front door, the husband was in panic telling me, ‘she’s going to have twins!’” Mullen said that Sgt. Arlen Cline (Fulton PD) arrived on the scene, and they both tended to the mother who was laying on the couch in the living room next to the Christmas tree. “One of the things I still remember, aside from knocking a few ornaments off their Christmas tree, was how calm Sgt. Cline was. He positioned himself at the mother’s feet and delivered the first baby.” Mullen continued, “He noticed that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck, and without signaling any concern, he unwrapped the cord and stepped aside.” Mullen said that Cline never displayed any fret over the umbilical cord. “Then, I knelt down by the mother’s feet, and very soon, I delivered the second baby. We took a blanket and wrapped up the mother and two babies, one under each of her arms, and carried them to the back seat of a patrol car.” Mullen remembered that there were no ambulances available because of the multi-fatal crash, so police quickly whisked the family to the Fulton hospital less than a mile away. The maternity hospital in the region was in Oswego, about 12 miles from Fulton, but the emergency room staff checked the mother and babies at the urging of the police. By this time, an ambulance had arrived at the ER from the previous crash, and promptly took the mother and babies to the Oswego Hospital.

For Larry Mullen, the memories of these events are as sharp today as they were 47 years ago: the critical injury of a friend and fellow officer, the horrific tragedy of a family’s loss, and the joyous birth of two healthy babies. “It’s something you don’t forget. That night, we went from one extreme to another,” said Mullen.

Thousands of first responders will be protecting and serving communities across the nation this holiday season just as Officer Larry Mullen and Sgt. Arlen Cline did almost half a century ago. Cops, firefighters and EMTs will be protecting, helping, and consoling our citizens. Some will wear the emotional scars from gruesome crime scenes and the aftermath of accidents; life as a first responder is an emotional roller coaster, and we all have different ways to handle those stresses. Always remember that there are peers, groups and organizations that are ready to help when a first responder needs help, even if it is just a friendly ear.

Listen to the Podcast: Christmas in the Trenches [CLICK HERE]

First Responder Wellness – resources here; National Alliance on mental Illness/NAMI here

© 2024 The Spawn Group, LLC