He Did His Job For America
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Jack Cunningham is in the back row,
2nd on the right.
George Dros is in the front row, 2nd from right
Please
call (And have your family and friends call) Governor Chris Christie's office at 609-292-6000 and say, "Jack Cunningham
deserves his investigation request against Robert Correale and his former law firm, Maynard & Truland."
Below are the comments of two Marines, who served closely with Jack
Cunningham. Jack does not feel he was a hero. But he does feel, he did his job like millions of other
Vietnam vets, and deserves Justice from the State of New Jersey.
December 14, 2012 To Whom it may concern This letter is in reference to Mr. Jack Cunningham who was a member of Combined Action Platoon (CAP 2-9-2)
in Vietnam. I served as his Sergeant, the CAP Team Commander. These were small units, responsible for on the job combat training
of the South Vietnamese. Ours included the small village of Phu Da 1 (formally Duc Duc), which was across the river from the
Arizona Territory. Subsequently, CAP 2-9-2 was an active CAP with several engagements against the VC and NVA advisors. Jack was a key player in our CAP. He carried the M79 grenade launcher and was fearless
in his use of it. I could always count on him whether on a day patrol or night ambush. In addition to this aggressive attitude
he would volunteer to blow up “dud” explosives, one day we almost lost him while blowing up an unexploded 500
lb. bomb. Conversely he always helped out with the teams Med-Caps, where our Corpsman would serve as the village doctor. Jack
especially loved the kids and helped many of them. Jack and
I served together for about five months. Our team was disbanded in August of 1970 and the CAP was split up. We no longer served
together. However, Just prior to our disbanding we lost two seasoned Marines to booby traps on a day patrol. Jack had spent
a lot of time with them and he has never gotten over their deaths. Also the village we operated in and around was overran
by the North Vietnamese just months after we left. Many villagers were murdered. This also had a negative effect on him. I lost track of Jack for many years. It has only been within the last 5-6 years that
we got back together, if only by e-mail. Regardless I still have many positive memories of our time together and his contribution
to CAP 2-9-2. Yours truly Don K. | George Dros | Burlington Flats, NY 13315... I served with Jack Cunningham in Vietnam,
and I know of no other veteran who has done more, with more heart for his fellow comrads in arms. I ask for your support in
this matter and a successful conclusion. |
Regarding the
last paragraph, I feel a short comment on who Jack Cunningham is and why I am here today at 55 instead of dead at 19. Some time
in July 1970, we went on a (daily) patrol that took us farther into enemy territory than ever before. The temperature this
day was in excess of 100 º. With only three (3) Marines and 1 Chou Hoi, we confiscated a large cache of
Vietnamese communist terrorists (V.C) explosives, detonators, documents and battle plans for upcoming engagements. (This
most probably was a small terrorist bobby-trap factory.)After neutralizing their base camp, we were hit by Viet Cong terrorists’
rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and small arms fire, pinning us down for over an hour. We called for artillery
from the Marine Corps’ 5th Marines Combat base at An Hoa and a react team from our brother CAP team 2-9-1. Return artillery fire was immediate.
It took CAP 2-9-1 a while to reach us, because as they neared the tree
line that we were pinned down in, they were also fired upon. After about three hours, the V.C. broke contact
and both CAP teams started back to their respective villages. We had to cross a chest deep river, carrying our weapons over
our heads, but at least we were in our own back yard. We stopped on a small knoll for much needed water, since we had run
out of water hours before, because of the intense heat and sun. Two Marines and I filled everyone’s canteens
while Jack and the rest of the patrol stood cover. Returning from the well, I saw Jack standing cover by himself, as our sergeant
thought the village might be hit and took the rest of the unit back with him in case of enemy contact. As we
made our way to the knoll that Jack was on, we took heavy fire from our right, pinning us down behind a small rice paddy dike.
Jack then exposed himself to enemy fire to try and keep the V.C. away from us, switching from his own M79 grenade launcher,
to my M-16 rifle and one of the Marines’ M-60 machine gun. Jack kept the V.C. off balance long enough for
us to pull ourselves along by the rice stalks until reaching him. The V.C. broke contact, probably fearing an
artillery attack. This was Jack, always caring and making
sure the people he loved were safe and protected from harm. Jack’s code in life has always been the same: passion for
his family, his country and the Corps. I will always be thankful for being a part of Jack’s family.
Battling the State of New
Jersey for over 12 years a lone, stirred up intense memories of this July 1970 day. There were a number of periods during this 12 years, where Cunningaham's
PTSD was so exacerbated, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recommended that he seek some relief by entering VA hospitals'
stress units for 45 days. Being tag-teamed by Robert Correale, other attorneys in his law firm of Maynard &
Truland, officials of NJ Supreme Court and Superior Court, and the governor's office took a tremendous toll on him.
Jack felt he could not leave the battle, he was doing it for other PTSD veterans. He still feels that he is doing it
for other PTSD veterans...
If you think Cunningham deserves
his right for justice, please pass this story link onto your family, friends and local news media. It has been a tremendous
uphill battle for Jack, but he is not giving up.
Semper Fi (Always Faithful) means something to many
Americans, whether they served in the Marines or not. And thank God, they do...!!
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