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COLONEL SANFORD BEEBE HUNT, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

 

BIOGRAPHY

 

     Col. Sanford B. Hunt, U. S. Marine Corps (Retired) was born on

October, 18, 1915, in Newark, New Jersey. His family migrated to

California in 1924. His  father, grandfather and great grand father were

majority owners and editors of the NEWARK SUNDAY CALL (Newark Call

Printing and Publishing Co.) in Newark, New Jersey. As a youth Sanford's

interests were divided between amateur radio and horses. He was a Petty

Officer (radio) 3rd class in the U.S. Naval Reserve (1934). His interest

in horses led him to spend a year working as a ranch hand in Arizona

(1935) and Colorado (1936) before returning east to Newark, New Jersey.

He became employed in the newspaper and magazine distributing business

and was later hired as a reporter and advertising solicitor by the Newark

Sunday Call.  During the course of his employment he resigned from the

Naval Reserve and joined the Marine Corps Reserve (1940 - December).

Shortly after joining he was called to active duty as a Private and

performed duties with the Marine Corps as a radio operator in Quantico,

Virginia and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He attended Cryptographic Repair

School (top secret) at the Brooklyn Navy Yard early in 1942, one of two

Marines selected from the Corps for this mission.

 

 

     In 1942 while serving with the 1st Marine Division in New Zealand he

received a field commission to 2nd Lieutenant.   Assigned as Assistant

Division Signal Officer, he participated in the assault and seizure of

Guadalcanal. During combat operations on Guadalcanal Island Lt. Hunt

established and commanded the first U.S. Naval Radio Station on captured

foreign soil (Radio NGK). He was awarded the BRONZE STAR with combat "V"

and was subsequently promoted to 1st Lieutenant(1943). Before leaving

Guadalcanal with the 1st Division, Lt.Hunt was assigned duties as Signal

Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Division  and remained in that

billet until he was transferred to the 1st Marine Amphibious Corps,

Noumea, New Caledonia from Melbourne, Australia, where the division was

recuperating. From New Caledonia he was sent to the 3rdMarine Division on

Guadalcanal where he participated in landings on Emirau Island and

Bougainville in the Northern Solomons. 

 

 (Promoted to Captain 31 January 1944)

  

  Immediately after the Bougainville operation he returned to the United

States (May 1944) and taught Naval Communications and cryptography  in

the Marine Corps' first Communication Officer's School at the Marine

Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia.  There he married Helen Louise Smith of

Lubbock, Texas, a Marine Corps communications sergeant (April 1945)  and

soon  thereafter  was  sent  to the 1st Marine Division in Tientsin,

China as   Assistant Staff Secretary.       He later served as

Communication Officer, HQ U.S.Marine Corps, Arlington, Va.(Nov. 1947- Aug

1950).   There  he  spent  33 months, additional duty,  as  a  member  of

the Joint Communication Electronics Committee of the Joint Chiefs of

Staff.

 (He was  promoted  to  Major  on 1 January 1949.)

 

Subsequent tours of duty included:

 Assistant Force Communication Officer, Amphibious Forces Atlantic

Fleet.(sea         duty)(1950-1952)

 Amphibious Warfare School, Quantico, Va.(Sep 52-May 53)           

 Communication Officer, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.

 Battalion Communication Officer, 3rd Shore Party Battalion, Yokusuka,

Japan.(1954),

 Commanding Officer, Communications Company, 3rd Marine Division,  in

GIFU, Japan      .(1954)                                      

 U.S. Ambassador's Representative to the Courts of Japan, Gifu, Japan.

 Communication Officer 11th Marines (artillery regiment),

Korea.(1954-1955)                                            

 

 (Major Hunt was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 12 April 1955.)

 

 

     Duties after the United Nations war in Korea were:

 

Assistant Communications-Electronics Officer, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic.(1955-1957)

Commanding Officer 7th Communication Battalion.(1958)

Amphibious Communication Officer, U.S.Naval Forces, Europe. (Navy-London,

England)(1959-1960)   

Deputy Director, Communications-Electronics, Eastern Atlantic and

Mediterranean (Combined Forces- HQ in London)(1961-1962)

Member US-UK Plans Board - London.(Joint Cryptographic   matters).

Special Communications Advisor to President Eisenhower (based aboard the

USS Taconic) during the President's visit to  Pakistan in 1959.

Chief, U. S. Marine Corps Communications-Electronics Research and

Development    Quantico, Virginia.(1962-1965) 

            

(Promoted to Colonel 1 July 1963).

                                                                        

                                                                       

Commanding Officer, Marine Corps Communication-Electronics Schools,

Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego(1965-1967).

Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San

Diego(1966-1967).

 

     While in San Diego Col. Hunt participated in community activities

and in particular a working association with city and county educators

for  the purpose  of  building a computer data base to provide career

guidance for pre-college students in the San Diego area.

 

     Following  the  San Diego tour of duty he was ordered to duty at

Headquarters,   Marine Amphibious Force, Danang, Vietnam, where he was

assigned  as  the Assistant Chief of Staff, (G-6), Communications-

Electronics.

   

     This  command  was  unusual  in  size  and scope in that III MAF

consisted  of two Marine Divisions, three Army Divisions,  one Marine

Aircraft Wing,  a  Korean Marine Brigade  and  miscellaneous  combat

support and service support units including Army aviation and a  U.S.

Navy shore command. Additional responsibility fell to IIIMAF for

coordination with, and technical advice to the Vietnam armed forces in

the Vietnamese I Corps tactical zone. Communication personnel under III

MAF  command and/or technical control numbered some 15,000 Army, Navy,

Marine Corps, Korean Marines and civilians(1967-68).  

 

     For his service in Vietnam  Col. Hunt was awarded the Legion of

Merit by the United States,  the  Vietnamese cross of Gallantry with Palm

and the Vietnamese Honor Medal, First Class, by the Vietnamese

Government.

                               

 

                 After serving a year as Chief of Staff, V Marine

Expeditionary Force, FMF, Pacific at Camp Pendleton , California (22 May

1968), he was retired for reasons of physical disability on 1 July 1969

and permanently disability retired on 1 March 1973. He had served more

than  32 years  with the U.S. Armed services. His duties had taken him

from  Cuba to Tientsin,  China,  the British Isles, Europe,  the

Mediterranean  and Red Sea areas,  Japan,   Korea and Vietnam. He now

lives in Lubbock, Texas with his wife, Helen, daughter Leslie Ann

Hunt-Bond and Leslie's two children.  Leslie's husband lives in Mallorca,

Spain. Son Sanford B. IV,  a former Marine Officer,  is Vice Consul at

the American Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia.

 

     Past positions and activities include: Board of Directors Poway

Municipal Water Distict in Poway, California (elected office);

Commissioner, San Diego  Flood  Control  District;  Member  San Diego

County  Assessment Appeals Board; Member  San Diego County Schools

Community  Educational Resources Advisory Group; County Local  Agency

Formation Commission and while  in  England  was  President  of the

London Chapter Armed Forces Communication & Electronics  Association. In

Lubbock Texas 1988/91, charter member Board of Directors of the Lubbock

Area Coalition for Literacy (Board treasurer) and President of the Gloria

Dei Lutheran Church.

 

 He  was a Boy Scout Commissioner in Virginia and California.  His last

paid employment was as a  Special Deputy Sheriff, San Diego County

California where he was awarded the Sheriff's Department Distinguished

Service Medal  after  10 years of service.

 

      Col. HUNT  retired from 9 years volunteer service with the Lubbock

Police Department on Jan 31, 1996.. He is a member of the Greater Lubbock

Rotary Club and actively working on genealogy at home.

 

                        HONORS and DECORATIONS

 

            Distinguished Service Medal

               San Diego County Sheriff's Department

            Legion of Merit(Combat)

            Bronze Star (Combat)   

            Rep. of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Palm

            Republic of Vietnam Honor Medal 1st Class

            U. S. Navy Commendation Ribbon

            Four U.S. Presidential Unit Citation Ribbons

            Organized Marine Corps Reserve Medal

            Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

            Victory Medal World War II

            China Service Medal

            American Campaign Medal with Star

            American Defense Service Medal

            National Defense Service Medal

            Korean Service Medal

            United Nations Service Medal

            Republic of Vietnam Commendation Medal

            Vietnam Service Medal

            Combat Action Medal(Vietnam)

 

    Letters of commendation and appreciation were received from: 

            U.S. Military Command, Vietnam

            Republic of Korea Marine Corps

            U.S. Army 1st Signal Brigade

            U.S. Army 37th Signal Battalion

            U.S. Naval Forces Europe

            USS Gen. A. E. Anderson

   plus more than 30 others  from  Navy and Marine Corps  commands.   

        

   Col. Hunt was a Marine Corps pistol Expert (.45 calibre automatic) and

a rifle Sharpshooter.

 

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