TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

Michael Charles Wunsch
The following is from Alex Roland. Alex was an
USNA '66 Classmate and TBS 2‐67 Platoon mate of
Mike Wunsch
"All of us who knew Michael Wunsch struggle, I
think, to understand how it was that he made such
an indelible impression on us. Even half a century
after we lost him, he still comes clearly to mind,
rare and irreplaceable. Most of us experienced
something of his unusual blend of warmth and
resolve. He was a born leader, successful because
people were drawn to him, conident of his
judgment. But the success of his short life lowed
from more than just leadership. The qualities that
made such a lasting impression on me were of two
kinds.
First, he harbored wide‐ranging interests and
talents. He was an artist, a poet, an athlete, a
philosopher, and a scholar. He marveled at the
human predicament and longed to understand it
—and to understand himself. He genuinely enjoyed
people and believed that he could learn from them.
But people were never just sources of knowledge for
him. They were ends in themselves. He could be
demanding of his subordinates and harsh when
they disappointed, but he treated their failures not
as defect but as mistakes. Always trying to improve
himself, he hoped to do the same for those in his
charge.
Second, Michael cultivated in himself, and by
example others, human and humane qualities that
inspired trust and admiration, the real source of his
leadership abilities. He had, irst of all, honesty and
authenticity, twin pillars of trustworthiness. In
personal relationships, he was sensitive and
empathetic, constantly trying to see the world as
others saw it. But he was also resolute and
charismatic, in large part because he was
thoughtful and decisive in his judgments and true
to his convictions.
He was an easy man to love and follow,
impossible to forget. I miss him still, and I mourn
for the lost years, taken from him and us, so full of
promise and potential."
Best, Alex
Diane and Mike
M‐116