Tom Mundy (1967)

WELL I FINALLY FOUND OUT JIMMY "BABY"FRANKS IS NO LONGER WITH US......I DID SPEEK TO HIM ON THE PHONE, I GUESS MID 20'S........NOV 24 1967 JIMMY WAS MY GUNNER 10YDS BEHIND ME WHEN I TRIGGERED A BOOBY TRAP... HE CAME TO GUNS ONLY ABOUT 2 MONTHS PRIOR......I ARRIVED IN COUNTRY END OF JULY 67. JIMMY WAS HIT WITH SOME SCHRAPNEL BUT NOT SERIOUS. I ON THE OTHER HAND WAS WOUNDED IN ALL "EXTREMIDIES AND ABDOMENUM " SPENT THE NEXT 7 MOS. IN HOSPITALS UNTIL MEDICALLY RETIRED IN JULY 68......ON THAT DAY WHEN JIMMY GOT BACK TO THE HILL HE IMMEDIATELY SENT OFF A LETTER TO MY FAMILY SAYING THAT THEY SHOULD NOT WORRY SINCE I GAVE THEM A "THUMBS UP" AS THE MEDEVAC COPTER WAS TAKING OFF,WHICH I DID. THAT LETTER WAS SO IMPORTANT TO MY FAMILY ESPECIALLY MY MOTHER WHO WAS DYING OF CANCER...HEARING THAT FROM JIMMY GAVE THEM HOPE.......SINCE THE MARINES WHO VISITED THE NEXT DAY AND THE TELEGRAMS THAT CAME TO THEM WERE JUST SHORT AND WITHOUT MUCH INFO.......I JUST RECENTLY FOUND JIMMY'S LETTER......A LITTLE LATE BECAUSE I WANTED TO READ IT OFF TO HIM.......ALONG WITH DOC NORED (WHO SAVED MY LIFE THAT DAY)DAVE (CALIFORNIA DREAMER) NAVARRO WHO WAS ABLE TO VISIT ME IN DANANGS HOSP ALONG WITH JIMMY AND NICK SEELEY WHO WAS ALSO ON THAT PATROL....I CANT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THESE "MARINE BUDDIES" THEY SAY DONT MAKE FRIENDS IN WAR........IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO!......ALMOST EVERYDAY A PATROL OR A NITE AMBUSH OR A NITE "LISTENING POST" YOU GO OUT WITH THESE SAME GUYS....GUYS YOU KNOW WILL BE THERE FOR YOU WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS AND YOU WILL BE THERE FOR THEM ALSO.....THAT IS WHY THE WORDS "SEMPER FI" IS FOREVER.......SO JIMMY, ILL HAVE TO SAVE THAT LETTER FOR WHEN WE MEET AGAIN....YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN !  T J MUNDY ALPHA ONE SEVEN "GUNS"