He was the epitome of what you expect a young Soldier to be, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams, Army Public Affairs Center force development and personnel policy non-commissioned officer in charge. "I've never worked with anybody that was as driven as he is or was. He was damn-near obsessed."
Obsessed, dedicated, driven and loyal are just a few adjectives that have been used to describe Army Staff Sgt. James P. Hunter by those who knew him. He began his career in public affairs at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Md., in 2003.
After DINFOS graduation and airborne school, he went to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., as a young, motivated and eager Soldier who wanted to learn as much as he could about public affairs, photo journalism and Soldiering. This is where he served under Williams, who was the 49th Public Affairs Detachment's non-commissioned officer when Hunter arrived to the unit in 2004.
"He loved what he was doing, took pride in his work and I think he had a true passion for Soldiering," Williams said.
That passion continued to show when the 49th deployed to Iraq in 2006, where Hunter continued to be the epitome of a Soldier, and lived by his unit's motto 'To tell a Soldier's story, you have to fight by their side,' a motto that would be a theme throughout the rest of his career.
After that deployment, he went to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., was promoted to sergeant and then deployed to Iraq again within a year.
"From those I've talked to Hunter took that mentality with him to the 101st and he earned the respect of his brigade as a Soldier and NCO," said Master Sgt. Jason B. Baker, G7 public affairs operations NCO, 2nd Infantry Division and former 49th PAD non-commissioned officer in-charge.
"The only way you could distinguish him from the Soldiers on the line was that he carried a camera and his rifle."
Army Maj. Frank Garcia, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division public affairs officer, was in charge of him during his second deployment to Iraq.
He brought that saying from that 49th Public Affairs Detachment, said Garcia. He always wanted to be with the troops to best record what they do, he said. "He was definitely one of the best NCOs I've worked with."
These descriptions are nearly identical when others discuss him, whether in articles or interviews, there are always similar themes. He was dedicated. He was driven. He told the Soldier's story by fighting by their side.
When I think of Hunter, I think of commitment, I think of high standards and I think of dedication to his duties, said Garcia.
That's where he wanted to be, by his unit's Soldier's sides. That's where he was during his third deployment in seven years, this time to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
By all accounts, he continued to embrace the old 49th motto. He was out with Soldiers of his unit when an improvised explosive device exploded, fatally wounding him June 18, 2010 after only a few weeks in country.
"I will never forget Staff Sgt. Hunter,' Baker said. "There are times in life when you really connect with a Soldier as a mentor and leader. I am proud that I played a role in developing him, for all of my faults, he embraced the good examples and advice I had to offer."
He was the first Army journalist killed in combat since Vietnam, according to multiple reports.
Due to his dedication and impact on the public affairs field, there are multiple dedications to his memory, including multiple articles, a photo in the Journalists Memorial at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., the first military journalist included in this memorial since Vietnam and a plaque at the DINFOS Hall of Heroes.
The Hall of Heroes, a place where his dedication to the mission and commitment to Army public affairs should be recognized by every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine and Coast Guardsman attending courses.
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