Mortars Platoon, C Company, 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry Dinh Tuong Province – September 29, 1967
Memorial by Rollie Gangler – November 19, 2000
Jim and I became close friends during Basic Training at Fort Riley, Kansas when the 9th Infantry Division was reactivated to combat communism in South Viet Nam. I first met Jim in May of 1966 when we ended up in the same platoon and I remember him as a really nice guy and a very honest and decent person. He was a quiet man and mostly kept to himself – I suppose that we got along so well due to my talkative nature and Jim being a good listener. I always liked joking with Jim and I remember how we constantly lamented the lack of success of our home town baseball teams – my Chicago Cubs and his Cleveland Indians.
When our Battalion went to Viet Nam in January of 1967, I ended up assigned to Headquarters and Jim stayed with his Infantry Platoon. During the following months of that year, I kept apprised of Charlie Company’s activity by constantly monitoring reports and radio transmissions when my friends were in the field. Every chance that I had, I made sure that I visited with Jim and my other Charlie Company friends. I will never forget how my heart sank when I heard of Jim’s death via radio communications between Headquarters personnel and the field officers. The news hit me so hard and I knew that it would be thoroughly devasting to his wife and family.
I will never, ever forget my very good friend, Jim Sunday. The memory of Jim will live on and on …..
