Carl Epting Mundy Jr.

Carl E. Mundy Jr.

30th Commandant of the Marine Corps (1991-1995)
Birth name Carl Epting Mundy Jr.
Born (1935-07-16)July 16, 1935
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died April 2, 2014(2014-04-02) (aged 78)
Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch  United States Marine Corps
Years of service 1953-1995
Rank General
Commands held 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines
2nd Marine Regiment
4th Marine Amphibious Brigade
II Marine Expeditionary Force
Marine Forces Atlantic
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Battles/wars Vietnam War
Cold War
Awards Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Navy, Army, Air Force, & Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medals
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Other work USO
Marine Corps University Foundation
Schering-Plough
General Dynamics
Council on Foreign Relations

Carl Epting Mundy Jr. (July 16, 1935 – April 2, 2014) was a United States Marine Corps General who was the 30th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from July 1, 1991 until his retirement on June 30, 1995, after 38 years of active duty service.

From 1996 to 2000, he served as president and CEO of the USO.[1] Mundy was the chairman of the Marine Corps University Foundation.[2] He also served on a number of corporate boards.

Early life and education

Mundy was born on July 16, 1935 in Atlanta, Georgia.[3] His family moved frequently when he was a young child, settling in Waynesville, North Carolina when Mundy was about 10 years old.[3] He graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama. At age 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.[4]

Career

Mundy visiting a survivor of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
Mundy visiting a survivor of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

Mundy enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and enrolled in the PLC Program in December 1953 while attending college – serving in the 38th Special Infantry Company, Montgomery, Alabama and rising to the rank of sergeant. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in June 1957, following graduation from Auburn University. His later military education included the Command and General Staff College and the Naval War College.

His early assignments included service in the 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division; duty aboard the aircraft carrier USS Tarawa (CV-40) and the cruiser USS Little Rock (CLG-4); instructor at The Basic School; and as Officer Selection Officer, Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1966-67, Mundy served in Vietnam as operations and executive officer of the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, and as an intelligence officer in the Headquarters, III Marine Amphibious Force.

After the Vietnam War, his principal assignments were:

Following advancement to Brigadier General in April 1982, Mundy's assignments were:

Awards and decorations

General Mundy's awards include:

Bronze star
Gold star
Marine Corps Parachutist badge
1st Row Defense Distinguished Service Medal Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
2nd Row Navy Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal
3rd Row Legion of Merit Bronze Star w/ valor device Purple Heart Medal Navy Commendation Medal w/ 1 award star & valor device
4th Row Combat Action Ribbon Navy Presidential Unit Citation Navy Unit Commendation National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 service star
5th Row Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal w/ 2 service stars Sea Service Ribbon Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry w/ 1 gold star
6th Row Colombian Distinguished Service Spanish White Cross of Naval Merit French Legion of Honor, Grade of Commander Argentinian Order of the Liberator General San Martin, Grand Cross
7th Row Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, Grand Cross Netherlands Medal of Merit in silver Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry Unit Citation Vietnam Campaign Medal

Personal life

Mundy in May 2013

Mundy was married and has three children – two sons and a daughter. Both sons are U.S. Marine Corps officers, including Carl Epting Mundy III, who is a major general.[5][6]

Remarks on minority officers

In an October 31, 1993 segment on the CBS program 60 Minutes on the dearth of minority promotions in the U.S. Marine Corps, General Mundy was quoted as saying, "In the military skills, we find that the minority officers do not shoot as well as the non-minorities. They don't swim as well. And when you give them a compass and send them across the terrain at night in a land navigation exercise, they don't do as well at that sort of thing."[7] Mundy, noted for being blunt, though possibly the "victim of selective editing", apologized for "any offense that may have been taken" from his remarks.[8] According to The Times, the general elaborated on this question at a 1993 commemoration of the Battle of Iwo Jima, when commenting on Ira Hayes, he said "Were Ira Hayes here today ... I would tell him that although my words on another occasion have given the impression that I believe some Marines ... because of their color ... are not as capable as other Marines ... that those were not the thoughts of my mind ... and that they are not the thoughts of my heart.[9][10]

Position on married Marines

Mundy issued an order in 1993 to cut down (and eventually eliminate) the recruitment category for married Marines; the order was rescinded following a public outcry.

Remarks on gays serving in the military

Mundy was signatory to an open letter delivered to President Barack Obama and Members of Congress expressing support for the 1993 law stating that self-identified homosexuals are not eligible to serve in the military, commonly referred to as "Don't ask, don't tell."[11] The letter said in part, "We believe that imposing this burden on our men and women in uniform would undermine recruiting and retention, impact leadership at all echelons, have adverse effects on the willingness of parents who lend their sons and daughters to military service, and eventually break the All-Volunteer Force."[12] However unlike the 34th commandant, General James T. Conway, Mundy has said that if the restriction were repealed the troops should not be segregated.[13][14] For a person to "proclaim: I'm gay" is the "same as I'm KKK, Nazi, rapist," Mundy says.[15]

Death

Mundy died of cancer (Merkel cell carcinoma) at his home in Alexandria, Virginia on April 2, 2014 at the age of 78.[16][17]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Carl Mundy: Executive Profile & Biography". Business Week. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  2. ↑ "Board of Trustees: General Carl E. Mundy Jr. USMC (Ret) – Chairman". Marine Corps University Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 August 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  3. 1 2 Ruane, Michael E. (June 5, 1999). "Four Years Ago, Carl Mundy Hung Up His Sword. His Life Would Never Be the Same." (Reprinted on www.patriotfiles.com). Washington Post. p. C01. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  4. ↑ "2007 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients: Carl E. Mundy Jr. '57". Auburn University. Archived from the original on 25 August 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  5. ↑ "Major General Carl E. Mundy, III Commander, Task Force 51". U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-01. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
  7. ↑ "A Few Good Men". 60 Minutes. CBS News. 2 June 1999.
  8. ↑ "Apology for Remarks On Minority Marines". New York Times. November 3, 1993.
  9. ↑ Thompson, Mark (28 November 1993). "Commandant Of Marine Corps Doesn't Mince Words – Mundy's Comments: Wonderfully Blunt Or Just Insensitive?". Seattle Times. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  10. ↑ Asthana, Anushka; Ford, Richard; Watson, Roland. "The Times". London. Archived from the original on 2013-05-05.
  11. ↑ "Homosexuals in the Military", Center for Military Readiness, April 9, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Flag and General Officers for the Military", April 9, 2009.
  13. ↑ Marines will still be 'hammering' Afghanistan next year Archived 2010-08-27 at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ "What Would It Take To End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'?". NPR.org. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  15. ↑ Eric Bradner, CNN (10 October 2014). "Clinton presidential documents cover Kagan, gays, email - CNNPolitics.com". CNN. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-17. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  17. ↑ http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140403/NEWS/304030063

References

Further reading

Military offices
Preceded by
Gen. Alfred M. Gray, Jr.		 Commandant of the United States Marine Corps
1991–1995 		Succeeded by
Gen. Charles C. Krulak
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