George W. Mundy was born on August 7, 1905 in Cedartown, Georgia, a town located in the northwestern section of the state. The Mundy name is still prominent in Cedartown today. A nephew, George E., is a senior member of a prominent law firm there.

George attended Emory University in Georgia through the 1923-24 session. He war then appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, from which he graduated with a BS degree in 1928.

Among his classmates at West Point was William Tunner, prominent in the Air Transport Command during World War II. He gained further distinction in 1948 for his role in setting up and commanding the Berlin Airlift.

Other classmates included Emmett "Rosie" O'Donnell, Ted Landon and Sam Anderson, all of whom became outstanding Air Force leaders and attained a four star rank.

Mundy fondly remembers many other good friends from those early days, all of whom would reach prestigious positions in the Air Force - "Possum" Hansell, Tom Power, "Shorty" Wheless - and Kenneth Wolfe, though he was a few years older.

After graduation from the Academy, George Mundy was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery on 9 June 1928. In July of that year, he entered pilot training at Brooks and Kelly Field, Texas. At Brooks he flew the PT-3 and the  DH-4, and at Kelly he received his advanced training in the P-l, A-3, B-2 and 0-1. Upon completion in 1929, he was transferred to the Army Air Corps.

While at flying school, Mundy met and became lifelong friends with fellow classmate, Curtis LeMay. Destiny would reunite them again on 17 March 1945. On that date, Mundy would become leader of the 39th Bomb Group on Guam under LeMay who had been named 20th Air Force Commander only two months earlier.

On 2 March 1934, George was promoted to the regular Army rank of First Lieutenant. This first promotion was followed on 9 June 1958 was followed by another elevation in grade to Captain in the regular Army.

Other promotions came regularly. On 1 February 1941, he gained the rank of Major, Air Corps, followed by Lieutenant Colonel on 23 January of the following year. On 9 May 1942, he became Colonel, Air Corps, and finally on 28 August 1943, he attained the rank of Colonel, AUS.

His first assignment upon graduation from pilot training school was as squadron officer with the 13th Attack Squadron, 3rd Attack Group, Fort Crockett, Texas. He held this position from October 1929 until September 1930, when he entered the Army Air Force Technical School at Chanute Field, Illinois. Upon leaving there in April of 1931, he rejoined the 3rd Attack Group at Fort Crockett.

In 1934, First Lieutenant Mundy married Suzanne Buck, a daughter of Major General E. B. Buck, a West Point graduate and World War I hero. Buck had entered the war as a Colonel in charge of a Regiment, was soon elevated to Brigadier Commander, and finally was given a division serving directly under General Pershing.

The Mundys had a daughter, Janice, who in keeping with her military heritage, went on to marry an Air Force doctor. They had four daughters and A son, and at the moment General Mundy has five great-grandchildren.

An exciting and memorable experience occurred in the earlier days of George Mundy's career:

In or about 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt suddenly cancelled all air mail contacts and ordered the Army Air Corps to take over these routes. Lieutenant Mundy's assignment was the mail run from Omaha to Cheyenne to Salt Lake City and return. His aircraft was a primitive two place open cockpit A-12. On a cold, wintry day, he ran into inclement weather on the Cheyenne to Salt Lake City leg of his route. Better judgment persuaded the young pilot to return to Cheyenne. While in the midst of unloading his mail for transfer to rail shipment, a fellow flier flew in from Salt Lake City. This persuaded Mundy to give it another try. Once again, he ran into nasty conditions, but rather than turn back a second time, he dropped down to a very low altitude with the intention of flying visually along the railroad tracks leading into Ogden, Utah, and then continue on down to Salt Lake City. However, the ceiling continued to drop lower and lower, and as he rounded a turn, he ran headlong into a raging snowstorm!

The steep sided canyon was too narrow to make a 180-degree turn, so the only option was to climb sharply on instruments. He had managed to reach 10,000 feet (fortunately), when his gyro instruments and air speed indicator both froze. Without visual reference or operable instruments, there remained no way to fly the airplane!

Today's aircraft all have heated pitot tubes to prevent freezing, but this was 1934 and instrument technology was in its infancy.

Only by extreme daring and willpower did he manage to take both his hands and feet off the controls and let the airplane fly itself - praying that it would climb upward rather than pulled downward.

Fortunately the altimeter was still operative so he was able to keep a close watch on his altitude. If that too had failed, there would have been no choice but to bail out into the cold and hostile terrain below an action that would have, most likely, had a tragic ending.

After what seemed to be an eternity of uncertainty, the A-12 wallowed up to around 13,00O feet - then broke out above the cloud mass. Once on top, Mundy struck a course for Salt Lake City. Since the weather there was VRF there was no problem in landing safely. This had been an exhausting, as well as nerve-wracking ordeal. Old "Mother Earth" never looked any better.

On the bus taking him to the hotel. Lieutenant Mundv related to a friend his harrowing experience. It was decided that a good stiff drink might help - and it did. Mundv flopped onto the bed and immediately fell asleep for the following 24 hours! There was no insomnia that night.

In January 1935, he departed for the Philippine Islands, where he became a Squadron officer with the 2nd Observation Squadron of the 4th Composite Group at Nichols Field.

The following ten years saw many transfers and new assignments for the young Air Corps officer. From December 1936 until January 1939, he was a staff officer with the 3rd Attack Group then stationed at Barksdale, La.

In January 1939, he entered the AAF Technical School at Maxwell Field, Ala. From October of that year until July 1941, he was a Squadron Commander and staff officer with the 23rd Composite Group, first at Maxwell Field, and later at Orlando, Florida.

In January 1941, he was sent to London, England as a military observer, returning in October of that year. He was then given command of the 23rd Composite Group at Eglin Field, Florida. He was relieved of this assignment the following month to become Commanding Officer of the Air Corps Proving Grounds at Eglin Field. He remained in this position until April 1942 when he became CO of the Twin Engine Fighter School at George Field, Illinois.

On 26 October 1942, Colonel Mundy received his prodigious Command Pilot rating.

In November 1942, he was sent to Washington, D.C. as plans officer at AFRIT.

From 30 June 1943 until 18 June 1944, Colonel Mundy served as Commander of Laughlin Field, Del Rio, Texas.

At that time, he was transferred to the 33rd Fighter Wing, as its Commanding Officer, initially at Blackland, then in Waco Field, both in Texas. He served in this position until 25 August 1944.

On 26 August of that year, he was sent to Randolph Field, Texas to serve as Chief of Staff of its 2500th Base Unit. During this time he also attended the Army-Navy Staff College from which he graduated on 20 January 1945.

He departed from Hamilton Field on 15 February 1945. Upon his arrival at Headquarters, XXI Bomber Command, he became Operations and Training Staff Officer with that Organization. Inasmuch as Mundy's prior 3rd attack Group had specialized in low level flying, he was called upon to help in the planning of the law level incendiary missions.

On 15 March 1945, Colonel George Mundy was named Commanding Officer of the 39th Bomb Group, 314th Bomb Wing, stationed at North Field, Guam, Colonel John G, Fowler, who had brought the Group overseas returned to his earlier position as Vice Commander of the 314th Bomb Wing.

Colonel Mundy would serve as CO of the 39th Bomb Group until the end of hostilities precipitated by an unprecedented air campaign by the 20th Air Force - One that had destroyed 50 of Japan's largest cities as well as it's military capacity to continue the war. This was the first time in history that major nation had been defeated without a land invasion.

On Guam, Mundy's first fourteen missions went well, but his fifteenth came close to being the last for him. On this strategic daylight raid against Nagoya, Mundy was flying as Command Pilot with Captain John Miranda's Crew 13 of the 60th Squadron. Struck twice by 120 mm shells, which tore off approximately eight feet of the "City of Galveston's" right wing, a couple of feet off its aileron, and doing severe damage to bomb bay doors and two engines. The crippled plane barely made it to a Point eight miles off the Japanese coast where the twelve men successfully bailed out and were picked up by submarine. General Mundy recalls that they were stripped by the souvenir hunting crew of the submarine who confiscated such prize trophies as flight jackets, helmets, sun glasses and 45's. George quipped afterward, "You don't come out with a thing except your life." He wasn't complaining though - it was a willing price to pay for 12-lives.

Both Mundy and Miranda received Silver Stars for their superb leadership and competency during this life threatening experience.

Colonel Mundy returned to duty on 3 July, about a week later, and went on to fly seven more combat missions - accelerating a total of 22 by war's end.

An interesting incident involving Colonel Mundy and Captain Miranda occurred early on in their relationship, On this particular day the Colonel, seated at his desk in his Quonset hut, spotted John Miranda passing by. He called out to "Big John" to "stop in for a moment."

He said, "John, I have two papers on my desk that deal with you. Please read them and tell me which one you think I should sign."

One order cited Miranda for punishment under the 104th Article of War - misconduct with the M.P.'s. The other recommended him for promotion to lead crew commander.

At the time, Colonel Mundy was intending to sign only one of them - not the two. Miranda read them over carefully, then smiled and said. "Colonel, I think you should sign them both." "I did," Mundy related, "and he got both,"

It isn't often that a subordinate is cited and promoted in the same sitting. With John it was quite possible - he had a reputation as one who was generally out for a good time and, on occasion, would exceed the limits of good behavior.

Soon after the conclusion of hostilities in August of 1945, Colonel Mundy was transferred to Tinian to assume command of the 313th Bomb Wing, consisting of 235 B-29's. After the war's official end, he moved the Wing to Clark Field in the Philippines. It was there, in 1947, that Mundy received his first star - that of Brigadier General. While stationed in the Philippines, General Mundy was involved in a serious B-17 accident. His aide, who had been Flying Fortress Instructor, was flying him and another General to Tokyo. The take-off was at night with a heavy bomb bay gas load. They had barely become airborne when the crash occurred. Due to the pilot's unfamiliarity with the aircraft's configuration, he mistakenly lowered the flaps instead of raising the landing gear. A stall ensued. One man was killed and several others were seriously injured. Miraculously, Mundy escaped the crash unscathed.

In June of 1947, George Mundy entered the National War College in Washington, D.C. Upon graduation in 1948, he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Ease in Ohio. There he served initially as Deputy, then Director of Supply, Maintenance and Services.

After three years at Wright-Patterson, he was assigned to the staff at Air Force Headquarters as Director of Supply and Services.

In April 1951, Mundy was promoted to Major General. He had risen in rank from Colonel in only six years. His next assignment was as Deputy Commanding General, then Commanding General of the 2nd Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base.

This assignment placed him, also in the position as alternate Strategic Air Force Commander - a responsibility that carried with it an awesome possibility. If he had sufficient reason to believe that the country was under a surprise attack, and neither SAC nor the President could be contacted, then it fell upon his shoulders to initiate a counter strike. This included a nuclear response.

While Commander of the 2nd Air Force in SAG, he had an occasion to visit Amman, Jordan. The American Ambassador advised him that it was a must that he make a courtesy call on King Hussein - a diplomatic gesture "that would only take ten minutes or so." The King was in, having returned only moments earlier from flying a British fighter - a type that General Mundy had also flown. They became absorbed in discussing the merits of that particular aircraft and this led to the topic of flying in general. After an hour or so of discussion, King Hussein insisted that Mundy and the Ambassador join him for tea.

In the car on the way back to the Embassy, the ambassador remarked that the United States had made more diplomatic progress in that one day than it had in several years.

In 1957, Mundy, now a newly promoted Lieutenant General, became Commandant of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF). This is a co-equal educational institution with the National War College, and ranks in the top level of military schools. It educates military leaders in various aspects of national economics and the military industrial complex as they pertain to the Country's security.

In 1961, Mundy was named Commander - in - Chief of the military forces in Alaska. Although the scope of his authority extended to the entire Alaskan Norad Region, his specific responsibility was air defense. He did not have a nuclear delivery capability but was equipped with defensive weapons.

Mundy held this high level assignment under President Kennedy during a very crucial time in our history. Relations with the Soviet Union were extremely strained and the threat of nuclear war hovered over the world. The "Cuban Missile Crisis" during October of 1962, brought the United States to the very brink of war. Had an attack occurred, whether by plane or missile, it would likely have been launched upon this country from the north. This placed General Mundy's forces in a very strategic as well as precarious position.

A well-deserved retirement came to the General in 1963 after 39 years in uniform - four as a West Point Cadet, and 35 as an officer.

Mundy managed to stay active as a Command Pilot for many of these years. In addition to training planes flown, he had also mastered the B-12, B-17, B-18, B-25, B-26, B-29 and the B-50.

Jet bombers flown include the B-47, B-52, and the British Canberra, B-57, an American manufactured aircraft built by Martin. Some of the fighter aircraft that Mundy had experience in were the P-l, PW-9, P-12, P-35, P-40, P-43, P-47, P-8l, also the F-86, F-100, F-102, and the F-106 the latter four all jets, Shortly before retiring in 1963, Mundy flew the F-106 at Mach 2.07.

Prior to World War II, Mundy had been sent to England to fly several of their aircraft. Among these were the Hurricane and Spitfire fighters, and the Lancaster bomber.

There were others long lost in the General's memory.

His lengthy and notable career included an around-the-world B-17 flight while assigned to Logistics. On a trip that involved visits to Japan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and England, he decided that the best way home was to "keep on going in the same direction."

Among the scores of world figures he has met and found the most fascinating are such notables as Winston Churchill, Indian Prime Minister Nehru, and Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy.

He recalls how President Kennedy and the Secretary of Defense seemed to revel in joint telephone conferences with the Unified and Specified Commanders. Inasmuch as General Mundy was Unified Commander in Alaska, these calls always came at the most untimely hour. Such a call in the middle of the night, and usually not one of urgency, could be extremely frustrating.

The General retired in 1963 while still Commander of the Alaskan Forces. He had served his country long - he had served his country well.

Ironically, his "boss," President Kennedy would also leave government in November of that same year the victim of an assassin's gunfire while on a Dallas campaign visit.

After retirement, General Mundy and his wife, Suzanne settled for a few years in Arlington, Virginia, where they owned a home. In 1974, they moved to San Antonio.

Tragically, Mrs. Mundy died unexpectedly in 1987, George Mundy was devastated by the loss of his wife - a bereavement that he continues to bear. It had been a happy, enduring and fulfilling marriage for 53 years.

Shortly after the death of Suzanne, the General took up residency in an Army Retirement Complex in San Antonio, not far from his former neighborhood. Though restricted by health problems, he continues to remain fairly active at his life-long pastime- golf. Numbering very high on the list of his friends was his all-black cat - "Putty Tat," a loyal and loving companion and living remembrance of Suzanne.

Unfortunately, "Putty Tat" died suddenly in the autumn of 1991. Since then, he has acquired another furry companion to share his life with.

During General Mundy's 39 years of military service, he had many happy memories. A few of these stories are recalled:

I was Commanding Officer of Eglin AFB before the start of World War II. Many unhappy American boys had been drafted, When, on leave some - had used bad manners and even force while hitch-hiking. The press played it up big and this made the service look bad. So orders came down from higher echelon directing that word go out ordering the men that there would be no more hitch-hiking in uniform.

One weekend I had occasion to drive to Montgomery in my private auto. On the way back, I noticed an airman in uniform thumbing a ride. I stopped and picked him up. As we started off. I couldn't resist saying, 'Soldier, don't you know it's against regulations to hitch-hike in uniform?' He blew my hair back with his reply, 'yeah, but I don't care as long as that S.O.B. Major Mundy doesn't find out about it. I let it pass for a moment, then said, 'I am Major Mundy. He obviously didn't believe me and said, 'Why do all you non-coms try to pass yourselves off as officers?' I pulled off to the side of the road and showed him my I.D. He responded as if I had hit him in the face with my fist. Then, we both broke out into spasms of laughter for the next five minutes. When we drove off again, I said. 'Soldier, we'll just forget about this incident: neither of us will say a word about it.' When we arrived at Eglin, I let him out and that was the last I ever saw or heard of him. (Talk about putting your foot in your mouth).

As Commander of Eglin at the time of Pearl Harbor, Jimmy Doolittle, one day soon after the start of the war, came into my office. He told me he had very hush-hush orders, which for security reasons had never been put into writing. He went on to say he would need the use of many of our facilities, including an emergency airstrip. I asked him how he would be using this particular runway. He could only tell me that they would be making an outline of an aircraft carrier on it. Though I could only guess as to its purpose, the request seemed legitimate, and I indicated to him that I would not insist on written orders but would take him at his word. At this stage of the war Uncle Sam insisted on strict accountability of all government property and money, particularly on those bases located in the United States.

Doolittle's men and their B-25's trained persistently at Eglin for the following 3 to 4 weeks and we cooperated with them in every way that we could. Then one day they took off and I didn't hear of them again until glaring headlines startled the country by proclaiming "DOOLITTLE BOMBS TOKYO FROM SHANGRI-LA!" Not only were the facts reveled, but at least I could settle the property and money accounts that had been so long on hold.

As part of my responsibilities as Commander of Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, Texas, was the control of military personnel going into Mexico. All were required to change their American money into two-dollar bills to thwart German counterfeit attempts.

I made a particular point of treating the Mexicans as Allies inasmuch as they were told they were also at war with Germany. I met with civic leader of Cuidad Acuna to discuss the serious problems of sanitation and price of gouging that were going on in their town. I was determined to resolve them. I was given seemingly sincere promises of cooperation in correcting these glaring deficiencies. But their promises were only hollow.

I retaliated by telling the leaders that I was closing the border between Del Rio and their city because we could not tolerate the risk of exposing our airmen to mistreatment or disease. At first, they were unconcerned but when lack of our airmen's business began to be felt, they came to me and asked for another chance. I agreed, but suggested strenuously that they take some of the money that they would be making from our GIs and use it to improve their city water supply. It was highly contaminated by coliform bacteria - fecal matter. But once again, no results, so I had to close the border for a second time. Once again, they pleaded for another chance. In agreeing, I firmly pledged that if I had to close it one more time, it would be permanent - I would never reopen it again! It brought results. They began to cooperate much better with me in correcting these nagging problems - they even made distinct improvements to their water system.

Years later, I had an occasion to land at Laughlin and through the Base Commander, word reached the Mexican leaders. I was surprised to learn they had arranged a quick banquet in my honor. It seemed that the marked improvement in the quality of their water supply together with the newly learned lesson of working together to solve mutual problems instead of ignoring them, had enabled the town of Cudid Acuna to remain prosperous while their neighbors were battling a crippling depression. "My persistence had been rewarded I was pleased"