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| Robert Melvin Hunter 1918-1941 |
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| The Fresno Bee December 16, 1941 |
Fresno Naval Officer Dies in Pacific Attack
Navy informs relatives Ensign Robert M. Hunter Killed in Action
Ensign Robert M. Hunter, 23, of Fresno, assistant navigation officer on an American battleship, was killed in a Japanese raid in the Pacific.
Word of his death was received from the navy department today by local relatives. The message from Washington D.C. gave no details other than that he was killed "in line of duty" and that relatives will be informed later regarding the body.
Naval restrictions prevent the use of the name of Hunter's ship or the area in which he met death.
Second Fresnan Killed
His death was the second reported among the numerous Fresno young men serving with the navy, _____ Gastner, 21, a gunnery officer, also was killed.
Hunter, who had been in active service since his graduation from the Northwestern University Naval Academy about five months ago was the son of Sheldon A. Hunter, local district manager for the Western Union Telegraph Company, and Mrs. Harriet Hunter, a nurse, also of Fresno. His grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Pease who reside on Church Avenue.
Robert Melvin Hunter, born April 16, 1918, was my mother's step brother. His father's second wife was my grandmother, Clara Fitzgerald. Robert was aboard the USS Oklahoma when it was hit and is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (aka The Punchbowl).
An interesting tidbit I discovered while I was putting this together was that there is now a memorial at Pearl Harbor for the USS Oklahoma. We last visited Pearl Harbor in June, 2007 and I have no recollection of a memorial there. I've learned that the memorial opened in December, 2007 which explains why I don't remember seeing it. It looks like a beautiful place to visit.
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| USS Oklahoma Memorial Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Photo by Dennis Frank |
Debi, Robert Hunter was my cousin (mother was my aunt). I visited the Oklahoma Memorial with my son who is in the Army. He took me to the island at night when it was closed to the public. We parked the car and started walking toward the memorial. I said to him, it's so dark, how will I ever find his name. Right then the moon came out from behind a cloud and shone right on his name -- I could see it as I walked towards the memorial. I swear, he knew we were there to honor him. Gave me such a feeling of connectedness to him and to our history. Sincerely, Catherine
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago, I visited my son who was stationed in Hawaii. He was able to take me to the island at night to see the memorial when no one was around. It was a cloudy, dark night. When we arrived and I got out of the car, I said to my son, "How will I be able to see which name is his?" At that moment, the clouds moved away from the moon, and a shaft of moonlight lit his name. I was probably 20 feet away from the memorial, and I could see his name shining in the night. Somehow, I think he knew someone was there to honor him.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, I would love to talk further with you. Unfortunately, this reply was "lost" awaiting moderation so I apologize for replying so late. If you'd like to connect, please let me know.
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