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. 
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