Muhammad Ali an activist to help MIAs/POWs in Vietnam

Muhammad Ali an activist to help MIAs/POWs in Vietnam

By Lynda Carson - December 19, 2019

As the Christmas season is in full bloom with colorful light decorations on full display, and people are having a good time with friends and family listening to some sweet music while sharing gifts, and stories. Some people may be drinking some wine, or some egg nog with some good old Scotch whisky mixed in as the scent of a turkey and ham dinner is in the air, while being cooked in a warm kitchen as the children are running around playing with a dog in the living room.

The Christmas holiday season is a beautiful time of year, creating memories to be cherished for years ahead.

And speaking of Christmas it brings us full circle to the Yacht Sequoia Cruise certificate that has the name of Cathy A. Lundy on it. Oddly, after many years of searching and wondering, earlier today I was able to figure out who Cathy A. Lundy is, or was, and I learned how her name ended up on the Yacht Sequoia Cruise Certificate as a guest of the formerly disgraced President Richard Nixon.

Reportedly, Johanna Lundy, the mother of Cathy A. Lundy, and wife of USAF Major Albro Lundy Jr.was informed by the U.S. military on Christmas eve 1970, that her husband was missing in action (MIA), and 2 days later she was informed by the military that he was dead. This was not a very good way to spend Christmas during a time of war, in a tragic war that the U.S. should have never been involved in.

For what it’s worth, many people know that Muhammad Ali risked his freedom, and was stripped of his World Champion Belt for refusing to fight for the U.S. military, or to go to Vietnam to kill people who have never given him a hard time, nor had made any racist remarks to him.

But how many of you knew that Muhammad Ali went to Vietnam to try and save someone that may have been missing in action (MIA), or may have been captured as a Prisoner Of War (POW)? That’s right, Muhammad Ali went o Vietnam to try and track down USAF Major Albro Lundy Jr.

In Brief: One of the people that Muhammad Ali helped out was a fellow named Albro L. Lundy lll, who’s father USAF Major Albro Lundy Jr. was missing in action after his Skywriter plane was shot down in Laos during 1970 while he was on a search and rescue mission in an attempt to save the lives of some C.I.A. operatives, and Laotian allies.

Even though USAF Major Albro Lundy Jr. was declared dead by the U.S. military, years later a photograph from 1990 that appeared to include USAF Major Albro Lundy Jr. in the photo gave hope to his family that he may still be alive after all these years.

It was during 1991 that Albro L. Lundy lll found out that his father may still be alive and held prisoner as a POW prisoner in Vietnam.

After a chance meeting with the worlds greatest boxer Muhammad Ali, Albro L. Lundy lll teamed up with Muhammad Ali during 1994 for a trip to Vietnam to try and find his father. Upon landing in Vietnam, Muhammad Ali was quoted as saying, “I can’t believe I am here. I spent so much of my life fighting not to come. But now I am here to bring your dad home.”

Unfortunately, Muhammad Ali and Albro L. Lundy lll never managed to find USAF Major Albro Lundy Jr. in Vietnam or Laos. However this is a beautiful Christmas story that needed to be told this holiday season so that people know how beautiful Muhammad Ali truly was, and how wrong the U.S. government was for stripping him of his World Champion Belt for refusing to fight for the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com

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