| 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.
Mundy [ 1
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