Mission
The mission of Saving Hunter is to discover the life of 1st Lt. Robert Gerald Hunter and to aid in the preservation of his legacy through the means of a written account. Many residents who live and play around Douglasville, Georgia are familiar with Hunter Memorial Park, but not the story behind the young man that the park was named after.
Decades have past since Lieutenant Hunter’s death on 25 May 1966 in the northeastern region of Laos after his F-105D took a hit from enemy fire. It was the early stages of the Vietnam War while America fought the advancement of communism in Southeast Asia. Both publicly and secretively.
After multiple attempts to rescue the downed pilot, there was little more that could be done in the face of resisting forces in the area. On the same day, Lt. Hunter was officially listed as Missing in Action. It would be weeks before another rescue attempt could be made with success. But it would take twenty eight years for that story to surface.
A legacy was born from the loss of Lt. Hunter, but it was his spirit that has carried on through various people and movements. Follow along with Saving Hunter as the story unfolds.
Breath of Momentum
Beginning in July of 2006 as part of the Losing Georgia Project, an independent effort by Andrew A. Powell was set forth to research and investigate the ill-forgotten Veterans Memorial at Hunter Memorial Park. After obtaining official records, providing photographic evidence and a course of public pressure forced the City of Douglasville to act accordingly by providing $50,000 for a complete renovation.
However, during the renovation process in May of 2007 it became apparent that negligence to detail had become acceptable. A similar situation had occurred almost a decade before nearing the completion of the Veterans Memorial. Legacy and honor had been compromised at the fruits of politics.
Saving Hunter is not only the journey of an untold story, but the preservation of remembering the honor that is the greatest sacrifice. The wrongs of the past have to be righted. It is the obligation put upon us all to never forget the fallen. We owe our respects, no matter the differences.
