David Benjamin Mussey
Sept. 27, 1947 ~ May 11, 2011
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David Benjamin Mussey, SFC.
(Ret). was born in New York City, New York, (Bronx) Sept. 27, 1947, resident
of Ruidoso, New Mexico, passed away in the V.A. Hospital in Albuquerque, New
Mexico on May 11, 2011. He is survived by his wife Linda; daughter, Letitia
Mussey-Hitt, grandchildren Alex and Indigo Hitt of Dallas, Texas, son Martin
Mussey and wife Mary Cay, grandchildren Sarah and Erin Mussey of Dallas,
Texas. He is also survived by his brother Sol Mussey and wife Barbara from
Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Mussey was preceded in death by his youngest son
Robert.
Linda and Martin (son)
Flight: Dave's funeral
is completed. Tom and Judy
McGee, Randy Gilliam, and I were the Lancers attending. About 15 came to my
house afterwards for snacks and refreshments. Attached are some pictures (Tom and
Judy gave a beautiful shadow box to Linda (and Randy as they crewed together
for about 500 hours) and my Eulogy
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EULOGY Hello,
for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Lanny Ruck and Linda
asked me to do a short eulogy for Dave today. I will warn you up front that I
have mourned Dave’s untimely demise on May 11 enough; I am here to
celebrate his life. While I don’t anticipate this being as difficult as
the eulogies I gave for my Father and Mother, both of whom are buried here at
Ft. Bliss, taps is always very emotional as my Father was a career officer
and I am always reminded of the Lancers who have made the ultimate sacrifice
during wartime . . . and those Lancers who died after their tours! Essentially,
Dave had three families; his real family which includes his Wife, Children, Brother,
and blood relatives; he had his Civil Service family whom he worked with for
many years after he left the Army; and he had his Lancer family that he
served with in Vietnam.
Obviously, I am part of the Lancer family but therein lies the
“rest of the story” as Paul Harvey would say. Dave sent me two letters in 1999
addressed to “Dear Fellow Lancer”. Dave added a little handwritten
personal touch to the final letter which read: “Lance, I’ve tried
to contact you by phone several times and have not heard from you. Please
visit the site & see what we have going on. If you are not at all
interested in any contact from fellow Lancers, let me know & I’ll
not bother you anymore. Thanks, Dave”. Dave was a very intelligent
person and back then I was too; intelligent enough to realize this guy just
politely said he’s going to pester me until I call him! I
don’t remember any details, but I obviously did call him, and we met
for lunch. I, like most Vietnam Veterans, buried my experiences so deep that
I didn’t want to talk about it or be with people who did want to talk
about it. It was Dave’s
persistence that brought me out of my little shell and changed my life for
the better. While not a religious person, it was like a friendship made in
heaven . . . you see Dave could fix computers and I could break them! I
became a life member of the VHPA and 101st Airborne Division
Association and attended reunions all over the country. My daughters got to visit cities like
Denver, San Francisco, and Washington, DC which they might not have otherwise
seen had it not been for Dave! In the
very first year of talking with fellow Lancers about our experiences in
Vietnam, I finally got closure . . . and by closure I mean I quickly lost the
guilt and shame that burdened me from Vietnam years before it finally became
acceptable, even fashionable, to be a Vietnam Vet and officially be welcomed
home by our Government (which I believed just happened within the last year)?
I am not the only Vietnam Lancer who feels this way as Dave was the Founder
of the Lancer Association which got the Company back together again after so
many years. The card on the wreath is addressed to “Our Beloved
Founder” and thanks him for not only getting us together again but also
for having the vision to do it! The card concludes with the statement he
shall never be forgotten which is generally reserved for those that gave the
ultimate sacrifice in war but is appropriate here because Dave’s real
legacy is the Lancer Association as a 501 ( c ) 19
tax exempt military group. Dave filed the application and it was approved
around 2002. At the Lexington 101st reunion in August we shall
change our Mission, Constitution and By-laws to allow the Modern Day Lancers
to become Association members and they shall continue to support the B
Company Lancers of the 101st Division long after the last Vietnam
Lancer has joined Dave in that eternal Hospitality Suite! There are
two reasons I must address Dave’s true legacy. First, Linda has
requested donations to the Lancer Association in lieu of flowers. Second, no
one outside the Lancers really knows what this is because it has taken on the
qualities of its founder, i.e., goes quietly about its business without ever
seeking any credit, publicity, or even solicitation from outside our own
group. The only records to date are those we have filed with the IRS yearly. I
can’t think of a more appropriate place than Dave’s Eulogy to
thank him and all the Lancers who have contributed over the years. Since
2003, the Lancer Association has donated well over $10,000 to our active duty
unit . . . $3500 to widows, $1500 for memorials to their 9 KIA’s with
more to come, $1000 for each of 4 homecoming parties as they have already
served two tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, $500 for sheets and bedding
for enlisted men, $600 in the name of Lancer KIA’s to the Screaming
Eagle Support Fund and Wounded Warriors, and various other gifts to these
brave young men and women of our own B Company Lancers. I estimate 95% has
gone to the active unit and the remainder for flowers and cards for Vietnam
Lancers. The Lancer Association intends to support the active duty unit as long as it exists. In the 11
years I knew Dave, I never saw him raise his voice, get excited, or
disrespect anyone. Dave Mussey was a calm, caring, compassionate person of
intellect and his vision to make the Lancer Association a 501 (c) 19 tax
exempt military group epitomizes and the old adage
“Charity Begins at Home”! I can think of no group more worthy
than the young men and women who risk their lives to preserve our
freedom. |
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Lanny Ruck, Randy Gilliam, & Tom McGee |
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Shadow Box