Death of a Classmate - James I. Brunell - 17th Co.

I received the following email from Barbara Brunell

I am sad to report that my husband of 46 years, James I. Brunell, passed away on January 21.  Jim was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2000 and had ups and downs with that disease ever since.  However, until 2012, he alternated cycling and walking the hills near our home every day.  The past two years, daily half-hour walks on a nearby trail were routine.  For some reason, he was unable to properly nourish himself after his triple bypass surgery in May so lost 45 pounds and became very weak.

As a patrol plane commander, Jim was the first one on location at Gulf of Tonkin where he found the Maddox and Turner Joy "chasing each other's tail" in Vietnamese waters and no evidence of "even a log in the water.  There was no there there."  He filed his report to President Johnson who declared war anyway. 

Barbara Brunell