Carl Epting Mundy Jr.

Early life and education

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

Career

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:

Personal life

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.

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." Mundy, noted for being blunt, though possibly the "victim of selective editing", apologized for "any offense that may have been taken" from his remarks. 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.

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." 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." However unlike the 34th commandant, General James T. Conway, Mundy has said that if the restriction were repealed the troops should not be segregated. For a person to "proclaim: I'm gay" is the "same as I'm KKK, Nazi, rapist," Mundy says.

Death

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