Frank O'Driscoll Hunter

Name:

Frank O'Driscoll "Monk" Hunter

Country:

United States

Rank:

First Lieutenant

Service:

United States Air Service

Units:

94^th Aero, 103^rd Aero

Victories:

Born:

08 December 1894

Place of Birth:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Died:

25 June 1982

Place of Death:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Cemetery:

Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, USA

The son of John H. Hunter of Savannah, Georgia, Frank O'Driscoll Hunter joined the United States Army Signal Corps in 1917. A SPAD XIII pilot, he was posted to the 94^th Aero Squadron on 22 May 1918 but, four days later, he was transferred to the 103^rd Aero Squadron. Though wounded in action on 2 June 1918, Hunter scored nine victories making him and Paul Baer the highest scoring aces in the squadron. When the war ended, Hunter remained in the army, attaining the rank of Major General and commanding the 8^th Air Force Fighter Command in England during World War II. Before he retired from the United States Army Air Force in 1947, Hunter Army Air Field at Savannah, Georgia was named in his honor. He was the only person to have had a military base named after him while still living. Hunter suffered a stroke on 12 June 1982 and died at St. Joseph Hospital in Savannah, Georgia. He was 87.

According to syndicated columnist Charly Clapp, Hunter was "nicknamed Monk because of how he looked as a baby."

When parachutes were first adopted by the Air Force and all pilots were forced to wear them, Monk Hunter, like most World War I fliers, held them in great contempt until a vivid example or their value was brought home. In the early 1920's Hunter went to Wright Field to test hop a new fighter plane and it so happened that he wore a new chute, which had been fitted before he put on a leather flying jacket. So he couldn't fasten the buckle across his chest. He climbed into the new fighter without much concern about his valueless chute, but just as he was going to take off an incoming plane delayed him for a few moments so he wriggled around in his seat and was able to connect the two ends across the front. Within 10 minutes the new fighter caught on fire and Monk made his first parachute jump.

Charly Clapp, The Amarillo Globe - Wednesday, May 02, 1945

The Macon Daily Telegraph, Macon, Georgia, Sunday, 12 January 1919, page 1

The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, Saturday, 21 March 1925, page 1

The Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, Georgia, Sunday, 7 March 1926, page 1

The Morning Union, Springfield, Massachusetts, Monday, 28 June 1928, page 18

Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Frank O'Driscoll Hunter, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action in the region of Ypres, Belgium, June 2, 1918. Lieutenant Hunter, while on patrol, alone attacked two enemy bi-place planes, destroying one and forcing the other to retire. In the course of the combat he was wounded in the forehead. Despite his injuries he succeeded in returning his damaged plane to his own aerodrome.