Kirby L. Hunter  11/3/2011 Update!                                                    

 
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Kirby Hunter Passes

SGT
Kirby Hunter
105 Goshawk Dr.
Daytona Beach,FL 32119
khunter66@cfl.rr.com
 

A message from Hunter's daugher to reads...

Our deepest condolences go out to the Hunter family, God Bless.

Blackhawk Web Team.

 Update: 10-08-2011 5:06 pm.
By: Ralph Cromer

Guys, I spoke to SGT Hunter's daughter, Angie, this afternoon, and also his
wife, Valerie. Valerie told me that he not only dealt with the throat cancer and
loss of his voice, but also prostate cancer, and a couple of bouts of bladder
cancer.  And a couple of other melanomas on top of all this.  He was much sicker
than he let on.  It was not his way to complain, but to just soldier on.

Angie said this last hospital admission was because his legs were swelling, and
tests were to be done to determine the best treatment option.  His son, Bobby,
was with him last night, and as of 7:00 PM things were fine.  But then, suddenly
around 9:00 PM, things took a turn for the worse.  The doctor had initially
scheduled him to be discharged tomorrow.

Angie and her sister will leave Wednesday morning for Daytona Beach.  She would
like to bring him back to Ft. Knox for burial in the Veterans Cemetery, but he
had requested cremation, and then burial at sea with his first wife.  His other
son, Kirby, is cutting short a North Carolina motorcycle trip to head back down
to Florida.

Angie was most gracious in expressing her thanks to the Blackhawks of Delta
Troop for all the prayers and concern shown her father.  She and her brother
were grateful for the love and admiration we all had for their dad. 

I was at the Louisville VA Hospital earlier this week, and came across a copy of
an 11th Armored Cav newsletter.  I sent it to Sarge with a note that I hoped he
was doing OK.  I never thought he would not be there to read it.

Learning what I have about his condition, I don't know how he summoned the
strength to make last April's  reunion at Ft. Knox.  It was
obviously an act of selflessness, as after he had to cancel his planned 2010
Bartlett Memorial Reunion trip due to a doctor's appointment, he promised that
nothing would stop him from being with us at Ft. Knox in 2011.  I feel very
fortunate that I got to see him one last time before he left us.

cromer   

 Thursday 11/3/2011 UPDATE

Guys, SGT Hunter's family has been weighing options regarding his final resting place.  His daughter, Angie, told me last month that they were looking at the Veterans Cemetery at Ft. Knox as a possible site.

She called me yesterday in response to my email (below) to advise that they had decided that Ft. Knox would be the logical choice considering the history the family had with the post, its central location, etc.

She also advised that it is most important to the family that the men who served with her father be in attendance, and therefore set a tentative date of March 8-10, 2012 to coincide with the Midwest Chapter's annual reunion at Ft. Knox.  What an honor for us.

I wanted to let you all know about this development as soon as possible and get a read on how many of you might be able to attend.  Details will be forthcoming, but be advised we have to work them out with Ft. Knox's Ceremonies & Events personnel, cemetery officials, the Blackhawk VFW Post, ET AL.

cromer

PS - One note; from a logistics standpoint, I think it might make sense to go to our default lodging facility, the Gold Vault Inn, for this gathering, as staying on post is too restrictive, and the Doe Run Inn is too remote.