JOHN C. HUNTER, LTJG, USN
John Hunter '36
Lucky Bag
From the 1936 Lucky Bag:
JOHN CHARLES HUNTER
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Jack"
Not once, but twice, Jack left Philadelphia to become a Middy. Disgusted with the political situation of '08, he decided on a non-political life at sea. Having slightly deviated lower extremities, he soon learned that these irregular limbs were sturdy sea legs. It wasn't long until his good-nature and kind-heartedness were recognized by all. Few, if any, have more friends than Jack and no one is more welcome any place; always glad to make someone happy and never failing to have the dope for the next class. If ever anyone is the target for nick-names he is, but his amiable personality warrants them. He is a wrestler who knows his "bars" and always ready to take on the best of cribbage players. One will always find Jack in with the best.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1; Wrestling 4, 3, 2, 1, wNt; N Club; N.A.C.A. 2, 1; 1 Stripe
JOHN CHARLES HUNTER
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Jack"
Not once, but twice, Jack left Philadelphia to become a Middy. Disgusted with the political situation of '08, he decided on a non-political life at sea. Having slightly deviated lower extremities, he soon learned that these irregular limbs were sturdy sea legs. It wasn't long until his good-nature and kind-heartedness were recognized by all. Few, if any, have more friends than Jack and no one is more welcome any place; always glad to make someone happy and never failing to have the dope for the next class. If ever anyone is the target for nick-names he is, but his amiable personality warrants them. He is a wrestler who knows his "bars" and always ready to take on the best of cribbage players. One will always find Jack in with the best.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1; Wrestling 4, 3, 2, 1, wNt; N Club; N.A.C.A. 2, 1; 1 Stripe
Loss
John was lost on December 8, 1941, when the aircraft he was piloting suffered an engine failure approximately 175 miles from USS Lexington (CV 2) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A search for him and his crewman was unsuccessful. They were "on the morning scouting flight."
John and his crewman were members of Scouting Squadron (VS) 2. The ship was returning from a ferry mission to Wake Island that had been called off due to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Other Information
His wife was listed as next of kin.
John has a memory marker in Pennsylvania.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
LT Finley Hall '29\
LT John Huntley '31\
LTjg George Bellinger '32\
LTjg Martin Koivisto '32\
LTjg Daniel Gothie '32\
LTjg Albert Major, Jr. '32\
LTjg John McCormack, Jr. '33\
LTjg Archibald Stone, Jr. '34\
LTjg Wendell Froling '34
LT John Yoho '29 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)\
CAPT Paul Moret '30 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)\
LTjg Robert Strickler '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
LTjg George Ottinger '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)\
LTjg Dewitt Shumway '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 1D8)\
LTjg William Widhelm '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
June 1940
LT Charles Crommelin '31 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 2)\
LTjg Robert Fair '33 (USS Lexington)
ENS Allan Wussow '39 (USS Lexington)\
ENS Willard Sampson '40 (USS Lexington)
November 1940
LT Clair Miller '29 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 2)\
LT Baylies Clark '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 2)\
LT Charles Crommelin '31 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 2)\
LTjg Robert Isely '33 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 2)\
LTjg Robert Fair '33 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Raymond Moore '37 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 2)\
ENS Edward Price '39 (USS Lexington)\
ENS Allan Wussow '39 (USS Lexington)\
ENS Edward Seiler, Jr. '39 (USS Lexington)\
ENS Willard Sampson '40 (USS Lexington)
April 1941
LT Weldon Hamilton '28 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 2)\
LT Clair Miller '29 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 2)\
LT Charles Crommelin '31 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 2)\
LTjg Robert Fair '33 (USS Lexington)\
LTjg Joel Davis, Jr. '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 2)\
LTjg Raymond Moore '37 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 2)
ENS Harry Bass '38 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 2)\
ENS Edward Price '39 (USS Lexington)\
ENS Allan Wussow '39 (USS Lexington)\
ENS Edward Seiler, Jr. '39 (USS Lexington)\
ENS Willard Sampson '40 (USS Lexington)
Memorial Hall Error?
John is not listed on the killed in action panel in the front of Memorial Hall. While not an obvious error, inclusion on the panel for crashes like this—which appears to be incidental to a combat flight—has been inconsistent across WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
