Henry Lamar Hunt was born on Dec. 13, 1932, in Lakeland, Florida, and was a graduate of Kathleen High School. He felt the call to minster and attended Southeastern Bible College during the Korean War. He later admitted, “I felt a little bad that my buddies went off to war and I went to school,” and so he later vowed that if the opportunity ever came again to serve his country, he would, no matter the cost.
In the 1960s, opportunity came knocking in the form of the Vietnam War.
Hunt became an Army chaplain because he “wanted to be with soldiers on the ground.” The 1st Cavalry Division gave him the chance to serve with soldiers on the ground and in the sky in Vietnam’s War Zone C. From the start, he saw combat and even had his helicopter shot down during a routine mission.
In February 1969, Hunt conducted what came to be known as “the Whispered Service.” He felt called to minister to a unit under heavy fire and flew to their location. With North Vietnamese soldiers only 200 yards away, the company commander refused to let Hunt conduct the service. The CO relented when Hunt promised not to make any noise, and the chaplain commenced to low-crawl along the jungle floor to the front.
“I passed the wafers around and passed the wine in a ration cup,” he later recalled. “We whispered the whole thing—it gave me chill bumps—and I murmured the benediction.”
Hunt would leave Vietnam a promotion and two Bronze Star Medals. His faith was tested mightily during his tour of duty and he related that when he left for the States, “I sort of felt numb.” He went on to serve 30 years and retired as a Colonel.
Hunt remained a pastor after the war—and involved with his local Veteran community. Among his many activities, he helped establish the Quarterly Memorial Ceremony at the Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park, during which the names of Veterans who died during that quarter are honored. He also raised a family of three children with his wife Shirley.
When asked how his time with the Army Chaplain Corps impacted his life, he replied: “Profoundly. I identify myself as an Army chaplain… I’m a Methodist minister and I’ve pastored churches and I’ve done a lot of things, but where I’ve seen myself mainly is… I’m an Army chaplain.”
Hunt died on Dec. 11, 2015, and is interred in Section 626, Site 1919 at Florida National Cemetery. Honor his service at his Veterans Legacy Memorial page.
This #VeteranOfTheDay is from the Veterans Legacy Program. To learn more about the VLP, our partnerships and how we share the stories of Veterans in our national cemeteries, please visit the VLP webpage.
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