CHAPLAIN (COLONEL) HENRY LAMAR HUNT
UNITED STATES ARMY
1965—1995
Chaplain (COL) Henry Lamar Hunt was born on December 13, 1932, in Lakeland, Florida. After receiving a diploma in Missions from Southeastern Bible College, he completed his undergraduate study at Florida Southern College in 1957 with a degree in Social Studies. He served pastorates in Florida and South Carolina. After graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity Degree from Erskine Theological Seminary in South Carolina in 1965, he received a direct commission as an Army Chaplain and entered active duty.
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, Chaplain 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 Chaplain Hunt promised not to make any noise, and he 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.”
Later, Chaplain Hunt earned a Master of Arts Degree in Sociology from Long Island University. His military education included the Chaplain Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U. S. Army War College. He also served as a United Methodist Minister.
After Chaplain Hunt and his wife, Shirley, moved to Marion County in 1999, he spearheaded the establishment of the Stuff the Bus program to benefit homeless and needy children in local schools. He participated for many years in the annual Four Chaplains program at Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park, which depicts the selfless life-saving actions of four U.S. Army chaplains aboard the USAT Dorchester which sank Feb. 3, 1943, after being torpedoed during World War II.
He also became very active in the Ocala religious and volunteer community where he was President of the Military Officers Association of America. He started the Quarterly Memorial Service, created to recognize and honor recently deceased Veterans at Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park. A member of GOMA, American Legion #284 of Belleview and Candler VFW, Chaplain Hunt was also a published author and songwriter. He lived to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and positively influence those he served.
Chaplain Hunt and his beloved wife, Mrs. Shirley Turner Hunt, were married for 57 years until he passed into eternal life on December 11, 2015. Their three children- Alan, Lisa, and Mark - all served their Nation in the United States Armed Forces.
Today, Saturday, October 21, 2023, is a red letter day for the family of Chaplain Lamar Hunt as we unveil a Battlefield Cross in his honor here in the Park Pavilion. This bronze statue, commemorating Chaplain Hunt's 30 years of distinguished service to the United States of America, also pays homage to a giant of a man whose unswerving character is a model for all of us to emulate. His unrelenting dedication to sacrifice and service to others, rather than self-recognition, reflects great credit upon himself, his family and the chaplaincy he served with unyielding empathy and immeasurable grace.
DECORATIONS
Chaplain Hunt's decorations include the Legion of Merit; Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster; the Meritorious Service Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters; the Air Medal; and the Army Commendation Medal with "V", two Oak Leaf Clusters.
ASSIGNMENTS
Assistant Brigade Chaplain, 1st Brigade, USATC, Fort Benning, Georgia
Brigade Chaplain, 3rd Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, Korea
Brigade Chaplain, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), Vietnam
Chaplain, 440th Signal Battalion, Kaiserslautern, Germany
Assistant Chaplain, III Corps and Fort Food, Texas
Brigade Chaplain, 4th Brigade, 2nd Armored Division
Chaplain, Headquarters Command, 193rd Infantry Brigade, Panama Canal Zone
Deputy Staff Chaplain, US SOUTHCOM, Panama
Brigade Chaplain, 2nd Brigade, 5th Infantry Division, Fort Polk, Louisiana
Center Chaplain, Fort Eustis, Virginia
Sixth U. S. Army Staff Chaplain, Presidio of San Francisco, California
Staff Chaplain, U.S. Army Reserve Personnel Center
SOURCES
(2) https://news.va.gov/122975/veteranoftheday-army-henry-lamar-hunt/
(3) https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.23577/
OBITUARY
https://hiers-baxley.com/tribute/details/31121/Henry-Hunt-Chaplain-Col/obituary.html
CITATION / VIDEO
Mccoy, Michael, Juliana Lesher, Henry Lamar Hunt, and Military Chaplains Project 213. Henry Lamar Hunt Collection. 1965. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.83344/