Don Black Munson

Don was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 27, 1938, to George William “Red” Munson, Senior, and Emily Black Munson. During World War II, his father served in the American Red Cross with troops overseas. Don’s mother lived in Daytona Beach, Florida, with Don and his older brother Bill. Following the war, the reunited Munson family, now including his younger sister Ann, was stationed near military bases in several deep South states.

Don spent formative years in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he graduated from high school in 1956. Don’s high school activities include the Order of DeMolay, student government, sports, theater, and broadcasting at the WLOX radio station. Don was selected to attend the leadership training program Mississippi Boys State following his junior year. As a Senior, Don received numerous scholastic honors, and his peers recognized his warm and gregarious personality by naming him student body president and “Mr. Biloxi High School.”

Don then attended Tulane University on a full scholarship. He continued his family’s prowess behind the plate as a catcher for the Tulane baseball team and served as Commander of the Army ROTC Pershing Rifles Drill team. As a Distinguished Military Graduate, he received a Regular Army commission. Years later, he was inducted into the Tulane Hall of Fame. Don graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 1960.

The U.S. Army was a central part of LTC Munson’s life. His military-related training and educational accomplishments included the Infantry Officer Course at Fort Benning, the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, and a master’s degree in Russian Area Studies from Georgetown University.

LTC Munson’s 22-year military career included the following assignments:

• Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander in the 2nd Battalion, 504th Airborne Battle Group, 82nd Airborne Division, at Fort Bragg

• Aide de Camp to the Commanding General of 7th U.S. Army Support Command, Germany

• Commander, Detachment A-1026, 10th Special Forces, Germany

• Commander, Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Vietnam

• Professor, Senior ROTC Detachment, University of Delaware

• Commander, Company B, U.S. Army Special Forces, Lop Buri, Thailand

• Chief, Current Intelligence Division, Defense Intelligence Agency, at the Pentagon

• Commander, U.S. Army Airborne School (1st Battalion, 507th Airborne Regiment), Fort Benning

• Commander, U.S. Army Ranger Department, Fort Benning

• Office of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Pentagon

He was qualified as a Master Parachutist, Army Ranger, Pathfinder, Jumpmaster, and Jungle Warfare Expert. He was awarded Parachutist badges from the Armies of Germany, Belgium, Vietnam, and Thailand. His awards and decorations included the: Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, 2 Bronze Stars for Valor, 11 Air Medals, Purple Heart, Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Department of the Army Meritorious Service Medal.

LTC Munson married Marilyn Hession in Delaware in 1969. They welcomed their only child, Mark William Munson, into the family in 1971. The family traveled together to several duty posts in the U.S. and abroad before his retirement in 1983.

Don’s second career began with a former Army colleague’s real estate development company in DeSoto, TX. Don was presented with a unique opportunity in 1988, when he accepted an offer to lead a year-long exhibition celebrating the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. The President's Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution, chaired by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, tasked Don to lead all operational aspects of this cross-country mobile exhibit that included display of an original version of the Magna Carta, signed and sealed by King John in 1512.

Returning to Texas, Don met and married his second wife, Jo Morris (Joey), an accountant and comptroller. Don and Joey devoted countless hours of service to fundraising, organizing and coordinating the annual Dallas Veterans Day parade for 15 years. From the 1990s to mid-2000s, Don concluded his career by leveraging his extensive military experience in Department of Defense contracts supporting Saudi Arabia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kuwait, and Iraq.

LTC Munson’s capstone began in 2007 with his extensive involvement in the Dallas Chapter of the Military Order of World Wars, which focuses on civic and youth engagement in national security, law and order, as well as supporting first-responders and military veterans. LTC Munson produced the organization’s national award-winning newsletter for 14 years. He also led and supported the MOWW Youth Leadership Conference at Texas A&M University for 15 years. Don developed a strong camaraderie with many MOWW Companions who supported him through Joey’s passing and his recent battle with mucosal melanoma.

Always the storyteller, LTC Munson continued public speaking on military issues as recently as the week before his passing. His selection for the U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration’s oral history for the 50th anniversary project will preserve his considerable contributions to his country, which you can watch here https://www.vietnamwar50th.com/history_and_legacy/oral_history/.

LTC Munson is survived by his brother George William Munson Jr. of Baton Rouge, sister Ann Munson Ball of New Orleans, half-sister Brooks O’Connor of Ponchatoula, La., son Mark Munson and his wife Katie and granddaughters Megan and Erin of Alexandria, Virginia, stepson Terry Keith Brown and his wife Christina of The Colony, Texas, and a host of cousins, nephews and nieces.

Don’s visitation and memorial service will be held at Rolling Oaks Funeral Home, 400 Freeport Parkway, Coppell, TX. Visitation is from 4-8 p.m., Wednesday, November 19, and the memorial service is at 11 a.m., Thursday, November 20. A brief burial ceremony will occur at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. The procession inside the cemetery departs promptly at 1:15 p.m. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be directed to the Military Order of World Wars Youth Leadership Conference at https://www.dallasmoww.org/fundraising/.