JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- As the historian for the 87th Air Base Wing and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, I receive hundreds of requests per year looking for answers to questions going back to the earliest days of our installation. Many are veterans of the U.S. Army looking for memories of their Basic Training days at Fort Dix. Others are interested in the U.S. Navy airship legacy and that fateful day when the Hindenburg disaster occurred in May 1937. Finally, many are looking for information on a loved ones’ service in the U.S. Air Force while stationed at McGuire Air Force Base. Often, I have little or no information or documents of significance to provide. I do my best to provide as much as I can, detailing much of what life was like at any point in our nearly 108 years of joint base history. Sometimes, I can provide information on a unit to someone or even assist an author on their research for a book. In the six years I’ve been your historian, I’ve never been able to provide someone with exactly what they were looking for. That changed this month when I received a request from a granddaughter looking for information on her grandfather who served at McGuire AFB in the late 1950s.
When Dr. Lindsey Hunter-Ellul called me to look for information, I’m sure she was hoping for the best, but she probably wasn’t getting her hopes up too much. She had information about her grandfather, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Jack D. Hunter, including a DD Form 214, but didn’t know much else. Her hope was to get more information on his time here and perhaps a photo or two. From experience, photos are almost never available given the joint base archives do not have official documents related to an individual’s service. I explained this fact to her in our discussion, doing my best to manage expectations yet letting her know I’ll dedicate the time to see what I can find. Little did I know at the time, this would be the most successful research request to date!
I began by looking through the hardcopy histories for the years Hunter was in the Air Force, 1955-1960. His DD 214 noted he was a pilot assigned to the 58th Air Transport Squadron of the Military Air Transport Service, so I looked for everything I could in the history of the 1611th Air Transport Wing, the unit in command of the base at the time. I looked for his name and anything the unit may have participated in during that five-year timeframe. The 58th ATS flew all over the world with their assigned C-54 Skymaster cargo aircraft, moving on average 35,000 tons of cargo and 24,000 tons of mail during a six-month period. They flew to places like England, Iceland, France, Germany, Spain, Libya, Morocco and Greenland. I then looked through the archive of photos and the “Airtides” base newspapers hoping to find Hunter’s name or photo. Unsuccessful, I prepared a detailed synopsis of what I had found to provide for her and her family. It was to be a standard response like so many requests that had come before. Then I remembered I had a copy of a yearbook published for those assigned to McGuire AFB in 1957 in the archives.
The yearbook provided a keepsake to anyone stationed here at the time whether they were in the 58th ATS or another air transport squadron assigned to the base. Each unit had a section that detailed their mission and included photos of a typical day in the life of an Airman or Sailor. Sailors were assigned to McGuire AFB in Air Transport Squadron Three (VR-3) or Air Transport Squadron Six (VR-6). The back sections contained official photos of every squadron member, akin to looking through an old high school yearbook. Now highly encouraged, I went to the pages for the 58th ATS.
As I began looking at the rows of photos, my anticipation and excitement grew. I thought, “Is his photo here? Please let his photo be here. How awesome would it be to find a photo for this family?” Sure enough, on the page with the aircraft commanders, pilots and navigators was the smiling face of 1st Lt. Jack D. Hunter, fourth row down on the page, third from the left! For the first time, I actually found a photo of someone’s loved one. A photo in a book sitting on a shelf for sixty-eight years proved its historical value in a matter of moments. Excited, I put everything together for the family and emailed it off, feeling accomplished about being able to give them an insight into the service of a husband, father and grandfather. In some way, I also feel like I got to know him, if only just a little…an opportunity that is few and far between.
This request for support is one of 83 that I have received this year. It provided an opportunity to find a historical “needle in a haystack” that may not happen again, unless another family member looking for someone assigned to McGuire AFB in 1957 calls or emails. While my primary duties are to document and write the annual history of the 87th ABW, taking the time to provide research support to families around the world allows for an opportunity to share the Army, Navy and Air Force heritage that makes our one-of-a-kind installation like no other. With the family’s permission, I offer the following on 1st Lt. Jack D. Hunter, U.S. Air Force.
1st Lt. Jack Donald Hunter, Sr., was born on Sept. 14, 1930, and grew up on a farm in Childress, Texas. After graduating from Childress High School in 1949, he enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps reserve and was honorably discharged in 1952. Jack received a track scholarship and attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he completed the TCU Horned Frog Regiment Transportation Corps Officer Training Unit and was redesignated as a General Military Science Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Unit. Additionally, he was a lifeguard at the university pool and helped with electrical work around the campus. He served as Vice President of the Senior Class Officers graduating class and the Bryson Club, earning his Bachelor of Physical Education in 1954.
After graduating from TCU, Jack entered the U.S. Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant. He attended Air Force flight schools in Marana, Arizona, and West Palm Beach, Florida. During his years serving as a pilot, Jack logged more than 4,000 flight hours and was promoted to 1st Lieutenant. He received the Armed Forces Longevity Service Award shortly before his honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1960, following the birth of his first child.
After his time in the military, Jack flew personnel carrier planes all over the globe until taking a job at Lanier Business Products where he remained one of their top salesmen. After moving 28 times all over the U.S. during his seventeen-year career at Lanier, he and his family ultimately settled in Missouri City, Texas, where he started the family business, Hunter Pools, Gas Logs, and Grills in 1977, serving Fort Bend County for almost 40 years.
He had a great sense of humor with a heartfelt laugh that is greatly missed by his close friends and family to this day. Jack was a dependable man who was always punctual and never broke a promise - a true role model. He lived a great life. On Feb. 28, 2016, surrounded by loved ones, Jack passed away, leaving a lifetime of wonderful memories and a contribution of service to a grateful nation. He was 85 years old.
As the historian for the 87th Air Base Wing and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, I receive hundreds of requests per year looking for answers to questions going back to the earliest days of our installation. Many are veterans of the U.S. Army looking for memories of their Basic Training days at Fort Dix. Others are interested in the U.S. Navy airship legacy and that fateful day when the Hindenburg disaster occurred in May 1937. Finally, many are looking for information on a loved ones’ service in the U.S. Air Force while stationed at McGuire Air Force Base. Often, I have little or no information or documents of significance to provide. I do my best to provide as much as I can, detailing much of what life was like at any point in our nearly 108 years of joint base history. Sometimes, I can provide information on a unit to someone or even assist an author on their research for a book. In the six years I’ve been your historian, I’ve never been able to provide someone with exactly what they were looking for. That changed this month when I received a request from a granddaughter looking for information on her grandfather who served at McGuire AFB in the late 1950s.
When Dr. Lindsey Hunter-Ellul called me to look for information, I’m sure she was hoping for the best, but she probably wasn’t getting her hopes up too much. She had information about her grandfather, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Jack D. Hunter, including a DD Form 214, but didn’t know much else. Her hope was to get more information on his time here and perhaps a photo or two. From experience, photos are almost never available given the joint base archives do not have official documents related to an individual’s service. I explained this fact to her in our discussion, doing my best to manage expectations yet letting her know I’ll dedicate the time to see what I can find. Little did I know at the time, this would be the most successful research request to date!
I began by looking through the hardcopy histories for the years Hunter was in the Air Force, 1955-1960. His DD 214 noted he was a pilot assigned to the 58th Air Transport Squadron of the Military Air Transport Service, so I looked for everything I could in the history of the 1611th Air Transport Wing, the unit in command of the base at the time. I looked for his name and anything the unit may have participated in during that five-year timeframe. The 58th ATS flew all over the world with their assigned C-54 Skymaster cargo aircraft, moving on average 35,000 tons of cargo and 24,000 tons of mail during a six-month period. They flew to places like England, Iceland, France, Germany, Spain, Libya, Morocco and Greenland. I then looked through the archive of photos and the “Airtides” base newspapers hoping to find Hunter’s name or photo. Unsuccessful, I prepared a detailed synopsis of what I had found to provide for her and her family. It was to be a standard response like so many requests that had come before. Then I remembered I had a copy of a yearbook published for those assigned to McGuire AFB in 1957 in the archives.
The yearbook provided a keepsake to anyone stationed here at the time whether they were in the 58th ATS or another air transport squadron assigned to the base. Each unit had a section that detailed their mission and included photos of a typical day in the life of an Airman or Sailor. Sailors were assigned to McGuire AFB in Air Transport Squadron Three (VR-3) or Air Transport Squadron Six (VR-6). The back sections contained official photos of every squadron member, akin to looking through an old high school yearbook. Now highly encouraged, I went to the pages for the 58th ATS.
As I began looking at the rows of photos, my anticipation and excitement grew. I thought, “Is his photo here? Please let his photo be here. How awesome would it be to find a photo for this family?” Sure enough, on the page with the aircraft commanders, pilots and navigators was the smiling face of 1st Lt. Jack D. Hunter, fourth row down on the page, third from the left! For the first time, I actually found a photo of someone’s loved one. A photo in a book sitting on a shelf for sixty-eight years proved its historical value in a matter of moments. Excited, I put everything together for the family and emailed it off, feeling accomplished about being able to give them an insight into the service of a husband, father and grandfather. In some way, I also feel like I got to know him, if only just a little…an opportunity that is few and far between.
This request for support is one of 83 that I have received this year. It provided an opportunity to find a historical “needle in a haystack” that may not happen again, unless another family member looking for someone assigned to McGuire AFB in 1957 calls or emails. While my primary duties are to document and write the annual history of the 87th ABW, taking the time to provide research support to families around the world allows for an opportunity to share the Army, Navy and Air Force heritage that makes our one-of-a-kind installation like no other. With the family’s permission, I offer the following on 1st Lt. Jack D. Hunter, U.S. Air Force:
1st Lt. Jack Donald Hunter, Sr., was born on Sept. 14, 1930, and grew up on a farm in Childress, Texas.
After graduating from Childress High School in 1949, he enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps reserve and was honorably discharged in 1952. Jack received a track scholarship and attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he completed the TCU Horned Frog Regiment Transportation Corps Officer Training Unit and was redesignated as a General Military Science Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Unit. Additionally, he was a lifeguard at the university pool and helped with electrical work around the campus. He served as Vice President of the Senior Class Officers graduating class and the Bryson Club, earning his Bachelor of Physical Education in 1954.
After graduating from TCU, Jack entered the U.S. Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant. He attended Air Force flight schools in Marana, Arizona, and West Palm Beach, Florida. During his years serving as a pilot, Jack logged more than 4,000 flight hours and was promoted to 1st Lieutenant. He received the Armed Forces Longevity Service Award shortly before his honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1960, following the birth of his first child.
After his time in the military, Jack flew personnel carrier planes all over the globe until taking a job at Lanier Business Products where he remained one of their top salesmen. After moving 28 times all over the U.S. during his seventeen-year career at Lanier, he and his family ultimately settled in Missouri City, Texas, where he started the family business, Hunter Pools, Gas Logs, and Grills in 1977, serving Fort Bend County for almost 40 years.
He had a great sense of humor with a heartfelt laugh that is greatly missed by his close friends and family to this day. Jack was a dependable man who was always punctual and never broke a promise - a true role model. He lived a great life. On Feb. 28, 2016, surrounded by loved ones, Jack passed away, leaving a lifetime of wonderful memories and a contribution of service to a grateful nation. He was 85 years old.