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<em>William Patrick Hunt, Jr</em>., was born in Colon, Republic of Panama. His father, an immigrant from Ireland, was employed as a surveyor in the Canal Zone. Bill grew up in the U.S. Colony in Panama and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1938. His determination to pursue a military career led him to study at the Millard West Point Preparatory School in Washington, DC. In 1939, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army for assignment at the USMA Prep School at Ft. Monroe, VA. His study was successful, and he entered West Point in 1940. Bill had an easygoing, Irish manner and made friends easily. His skills at keeping his eyes open and working the system were never more evident than on his initial travel to West Point. A classmate at Ft. Monroe, whose father was an Army Air Corps pilot, offered Bill a ride on his father’s plane to New York. He accepted and, together with other classmates, flew to New York in VIP style. Bill was to meet the same pilot again. In June of 1943, that same pilot, now GEN "Hap" Arnold, Chief of Staff of the Army Air Corps, presented the diplomas to his class!</p>
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As a cadet, Bill’s jocund character and never-failing wit brought no end of well-spent moments to those who knew him. Indifferent to all forms of "file-boning," Bill nevertheless outdid himself in carrying out all assigned tasks. His ability to attack an unfamiliar situation and carry it to a practical and logical conclusion won the esteem of all. During First Class year, he was a cadet sergeant. He participated in boxing, fighting in the 120-lb. class as a plebe, and was manager of the "B" Squad.</p>
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In August of 1942, during a visit to classmate "Mo" Anderson’s home in Lynchburg, VA, Bill met Mo’s sister Hattie. A romance blossomed, as later Bill escorted Hattie at June Week and for Mo’s wedding at West Point. The war was esculating, so it was on to anti-aircraft training with other Coast Artillery classmates at Camp Davis, NC. After completion of his AA training, Bill married Hattie in Lynchburg. Their "honeymoon" was a drive to California "chaperoned" by classmate "Cotton" Warburton. The mode of transportation was a second-hand Plymouth convertible which, after various mechanical and navigational problems along the way, managed to get them to their assigned units at Camp Haan, CA.</p>
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After duty with various AA Units at Camp Haan and Ft. Bliss, TX, Bill became discouraged with his chances for combat action and transferred to the Infantry in February of 1945. He completed the Infantry Basic Course at Ft. Benning and joined the 160th Infantry Regiment in the Philippines. August of 1945 found the Regiment assigned to occupation duties in Korea, and in September of 1946, Hattie and William Patrick III joined Bill there for a "taste of the Orient." His tour in Korea included promotion to captain, two company command assignments, and a year as Assistant G-3 of XXIV Corps. In November of 1947, it was back to the U.S. with a job as Assistant PMS&T at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. There, Hattie and Bill were blessed with the arrival of son Joseph in 1949 and, later, Cynthia at Ft. Benning in 1951.</p>
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Bill had always wanted to fly, so after completion of the Advanced Course in April of 1951, as a student at the Air Force Liaison Pilot School at San Marcos, TX, he received his wings and completed the Army Aviation Tactics Course at Ft. Sill, OK, in December of 1951. The Korean War had heated up, and soon he had orders to serve there. MAJ Hunt was assigned as Light Aviation Officer for the 7th Infantry Division, which was locked in combat with the Chinese and North Korean forces in the vicinity of the famous "Iron Triangle" in North Korea. He finally had the combat action for which he had trained all those years.</p>
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In the early hours of 21 Jun 1952, Bill, faced with a difficult situation on the battlefield below him, stepped up and did his duty in a style to make us all proud to known him. The citation for his Distinguished Flying Cross says it all! "Serving as an Air Officer and pilot with the 7th Infantry Division, he voluntarily piloted an unarmed observation aircraft to provide support and information to friendly ground forces assaulting a strategic hill. Realizing that the heavy smoke ball arising from the battle area obstructed ground observation, he circled the area at low altitudes under intense hostile fire and, through radio contact with friendly forces, reported enemy troop locations and adjusted artillery and mortar fire. During the mission, the plane was operating within the trajectory of friendly artillery shells, many of which were equipped with radio proximity fuses set to detonate the projectile upon coming within 20 yards of an object. Fully aware of the odds against him, he continued to direct firepower until the mission was successfully completed, but while covering the withdrawal of friendly elements, his plane was hit by a projectile, and crashed to the ground, mortally wounding him. MAJ Hunt’s heroic actions enabled the battalion to accomplish its mission and inflict heavy casualties on the foe, and his consummate devotion to duty reflects great credit upon himself and upholds the highest traditions of the military service."</p>
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Bill suddenly left this life after only 31 years, but in such a heroic and exemplary manner as to be remembered always. In 1962, the U.S. Army Aviation Center dedicated a staging field after him. "Hunt Field," near Ft. Rucker, AL, was a principal training area for the incorporation of the "Chinook" helicopter into the Army forces and is still active today. In addition, the Republic of Korea Capital Division renamed their airstrip after Bill and his observer, who also died in the crash. The Colombian Republic forces were amongst those supported by Bill’s action. In 1954, the Colombian government decreed that Bill had earned the Iron Cross, the highest Colombian military decoration for extraordinary heroism. The decoration was presented to Hattie in St. Petersburg, FL, in 1954 by the Commander of the Colombian Battalion in Korea, who had traveled to Florida specially for this occasion.</p>
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Well done, Bill. Our memories of you and your exploits will live on. Be thou at peace.</p>
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<em>His family and classmates</em></p>