World War II veteran and Merryvale Assisted Living resident Tom Mundy rang in his 99th trip around the sun on Friday with a meal at Red Lobster with his grandson.

An avid enjoyer of Westerns and old movies, bingo, gospel music, stamp collecting and fried shrimp, Mundy began living at Merryvale in March 2018. Despite living through the horrors of a world war, his spirit ceased to dampen with a smile and lighthearted nature known by those who live and work at Merryvale.

Martha Bishop, activities assistant at the assisted living facility, shared how Mundy’s character makes him unique.

“His wonderful outlook on life,” Bishop said. “He’s just always laughing and joking and I’ve never heard him complain about anything. If he does, it’s in the form of a joke. He always keeps us laughing and he’s a very caring person. When someone passes away, he’s the first one to be at their funeral.”

“To know the history that he’s been through at such a young age and the things that he’s seen as a young man and come right back here and do business and go right back to work as if nothing happened to me is always remarkable.”

Mundy was born on Oct. 13, 1924 in Birmingham, Alabama. His family moved to Valdosta, Georgia, where he attended high school and found an interest in journalism, covering sports for his local newspaper.

At 18 years old, Mundy was drafted into the Army where he served as a radio operator from March 1943 to December 1945 as the United States battled the Second World War.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 was Mundy’s wake up call for the next chapter of his life.

“When Pearl Harbor started, I said, ‘Hell. That’s gonna mean we gotta go to war.’ And I was just right,” Mundy said.

Mundy recalled being put through radio school by the Army once they realized his ability to recognize the difference between a ‘dit’ and a ‘dah,’ as used in Morse Code. His first assignment while serving entailed guarding the Atlantic coast while stationed in the Charleston area. 

When deployed overseas, Mundy recollected riding in a 37 mm cannon armored car that was “pretty much a tank” to cross the English Channel to France from England. 

As radio operator, Mundy used equipment in the vehicle to perform his duties, such as an appliance clamped on his leg to “communicate with the other armored cars [and the] network headquarters” via Morse Code.

Mundy’s outfit was credited with participating in three battles in Germany: the Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of the Roer River and the Battle of Central Europe. 

However, Mundy himself was absent from several of the battles due to being hospitalized for illnesses – frostbite and yellow jaundice – which “saved his life.”

“My mother said, ‘I was so glad to hear that you were in the hospital,” Mundy said with a chuckle.

After returning home from the war, Mundy attended college at Emory University before transferring to Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He beamed when reflecting on the years he spent studying in Florida. 

“I swam a lot in the ocean,” Mundy said. “This one fella had his car and a whole bunch of us would drive over to Daytona Beach… I enjoyed that time.”

Once he obtained his accounting degree, Mundy went on to work for Courts & Co., C&S Bank in Atlanta and prepared taxes for 300 private clients outside of his job.

In 1951, Mundy married his first wife, Elizabeth. They were married for 47 years and had one son, Dan. He shared the life advice he received from his father, who was a minister, with a smile.

“My daddy told me what to do, of course,” Mundy said. “That’s after I came back from the war and all, he said, ‘Find a small church.’ Of course he meant an Episcopal, join the choir – I stayed in it for 30 years – and get married. I married the Soprano.”

After the passing of his first wife due to an illness, Mundy married his second wife, Nell, and they remained married for 15 years.

For Mundy, life in retirement allowed him to become immersed in the hobby he loved as a teenager – writing. He wrote three books, one titled ‘My World War II Adventures,’ filled with anecdotes and details from his years in the service.

Despite reaching nearly a century of life, Mundy remains lively, bright and “sharp,” according to Bishop, who shared her thoughts on him reaching another birthday milestone.

“To me that is a huge blessing, that he is this sharp at this age and still is just, exuberant, he just is that kind of person,” Bishop said. “He always makes people laugh and smile around him.”