Ray C. Hunt
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Ray C. Hunt (December 11, 1919 – June 17, 1996) was a
staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...
in the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
stationed at
Nichols Field Nichols Field was a U.S. military airfield located south of Manila in Pasay and Parañaque, Metro Manila, Luzon, the Philippines. The complex is located at Andrews Avenue by the north, Domestic Road by the west, NAIA Road and Ninoy Aquino Avenue ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
at the beginning of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, under the command of
Ed Dyess William Edwin Dyess (August 9, 1916 – December 22, 1943) was an officer of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He was captured after the Allied loss at the Battle of Bataan and endured the subsequent Bataan Death March. After ...
. After the surrender at
Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entir ...
, where he fought as an
infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
man, he was forced to take the
Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March (Filipino: ''Martsa ng Kamatayan sa Bataan''; Spanish: ''Marcha de la muerte de Bataán'' ; Kapampangan: ''Martsa ning Kematayan quing Bataan''; Japanese: バターン死の行進, Hepburn: ''Batān Shi no Kōshin'') was ...
with many other American and Filipinos.Hunt, Ray C., and Norling, Bernard, 1986, ''Behind Japanese Lines: An American Guerrilla in the Philippines'', The University Press of Kentucky, During the March, he escaped and fled into the hills. He eventually became a noted guerrilla leader on
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, where he served for three years behind Japanese lines. Hunt was promoted to captain by guerrilla leaders during that time.


Philippines

Joining the
21st Pursuit Squadron The 21st Special Operations Squadron is a unit within the 353rd Special Operations Group, United States Air Force based at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The unit has been activated and inactivated a number of times in its history. Prior to October 20 ...
at Hamilton Field, San Francisco, Dyess led the squadron to Nichols Field,
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, Philippines, in November 1941.Dyess, W.E., 1944, The Dyess Story, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons The war began for Hunt midday on 8 Dec. 1941, when the Japanese strafed Nichols Field. Finally retreating to Bataan, his unit fought in the
Battle of Bataan The Battle of Bataan ( tl, Labanan sa Bataan; January 7 – April 9, 1942) was fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Japan during World War II. The battle represented the most intense phase of the Japanese invas ...
, before surrendering and starting the
Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March (Filipino: ''Martsa ng Kamatayan sa Bataan''; Spanish: ''Marcha de la muerte de Bataán'' ; Kapampangan: ''Martsa ning Kematayan quing Bataan''; Japanese: バターン死の行進, Hepburn: ''Batān Shi no Kōshin'') was ...
after the surrender on 9 April 1942. Hunt states, "I don't remember how many of those days I actually spent marching down the road accompanied by Japanese guards: seven or eight most likely, possibly ten", before he escaped on 21 April. Starved from his normal weight of 150-160 pounds down to 100, and suffering from
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
,
beriberi Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The two main types in adults are wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, r ...
and
jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...
, Hunt spent the next five months recovering in the Fassoth Camps. These camps in the
Zambales Mountains The Zambales Mountains is a mountain range on western Luzon island in the Philippines. The mountains separate Luzon's central plain from the South China Sea. Its most prominent section is known as the Cabusilan Mountain Range composed of Mount ...
, were organized by the rice and sugar planter American William Fassoth, with his
Filipina Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...
wife Catalina, and son Vernon, along with the Spanish-
mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
sugar planters Vincente and Arturo Bernia. Hunt escaped capture when the Japanese raided the camp on 26 Sept. 1942. Over a hundred Americans spent some time in the Fassoth Camps, before William Fassoth surrendered in spring of 1943, spending the remainder of the war in the
Cabanatuan Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabanatuan; ilo, Siudad ti Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 peop ...
Prison Camp. Following his second escape, Hunt was cared for by the Franco Filipino family in Tibuc-Tibuc, western
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...
, before he headed north with an
Igorot The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera Mountain Range of northern Luzon, Philippines are often referred to using the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples. There are nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ar ...
, Jose Balekow, his future bodyguard. Hunt recruited a small guerrilla force at San Jose, near
Tarlac City Tarlac City, officially the City of Tarlac ( pam, Lakanbalen ning Tarlac; pag, Siyudad na Tarlac; ilo, Siudad ti Tarlac; fil, Lungsod ng Tarlac ), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to ...
, and then linked up with
Robert Lapham Robert Lapham (January 1, 1917; Davenport, IowaDecember 18, 2003; Sun City, Arizona, Sun City, Arizona) was a reserve lieutenant in the US Army in World War II. He served in the Philippines attached to the 45th Infantry (Philippine Scouts), evade ...
's forces, becoming Capt. Albert C. Hendrickson's executive officer. The Japanese put bounties on both their heads: $50,000 for Hendrickson and $10,000 for Hunt. Thorp's former girlfriend, Herminia (Minang) Dizon, then became Hunt's after Thorp's capture. In the spring of 1944, Gregorio S. Agaton became Hunt's bodyguard, just before Hunt took command of
Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...
that summer. He named Tom Chengay captain of his northern district, Antonio Garcia in the west, Emilio Hernandez in the central, Antonio Hernandez in the east, Severino M. Obana as second in command, Jimmy Galura as supply officer, and Juan Utleg as chief of intelligence. Hunt received a radio for communicating with Australia in July 1944, and regular supplies from submarines. On 4 January 1945, Hunt received orders to implement Operations Plan 12, which called for five days of attacks in preparation for the Luzon invasion, including an attack on the San Quentin Japanese garrison. Just during the five days before the American landings on Luzon, the guerrilla battalion under Hunt's command was credited with killing over 3,000 Japanese soldiers in numerous ambushes and raids. On 10 January, he made contact with General
Walter Krueger Walter Krueger (26 January 1881 – 20 August 1967) was an American soldier and general officer in the first half of the 20th century. He commanded the Sixth United States Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. He rose fro ...
, and on 22 January, received orders to proceed to 25th Division headquarters in Manoag, to meet Lapham for the first time.


Afterwards

Hunt continued to serve with the regular U.S. Army after its return to the Philippines, assisting the U.S. Army's 32nd Division, in fighting the Japanese, while also coordinating guerrilla activities, at the
Battle of Villa Verde Trail The Battle of Villa Verde Trail (Filipino: ''Labanan sa Tugaygayan ng Villa Verde'') was a campaign by the United States Army and Filipino guerrillas in the Philippines during World War II in 1945 to force its way across the Caraballo Mountains fr ...
. Personally awarded the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross by General
Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
on 13 June 1945, Hunt also received the
Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...
for staying with his troops when he could have returned to the US. The Army then made official his rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, retroactive to 11 December 1943. He left the Philippines on 20 June 1945 to return to the United States. At that time, he was only 25 years old. He became a USAF fighter pilot, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.


See also

*
List of American guerrillas in the Philippines After the invasion of the Philippines by the Japanese in 1941, several Americans, civilian and military, evaded capture or escaped imprisonment. This occurred on several islands in the archipelago. With the aid of the local Philippine populati ...
*
Samuel Grashio Samuel Charles Grashio (April 1, 1918 – October 3, 1999) was a United States Army Air Forces pilot who was captured by the Japanese in World War II. He survived the Bataan Death March and participated in the only successful mass escape from a J ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Ray C. 1919 births 1996 deaths United States Army soldiers American guerrillas of World War II United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Bataan Death March prisoners