“Dynamic People in the Military Get Things Done,” Fighting the War in Vietnam and Lifelong Learning (33:20 and 36:15) Give People Responsibility and they get the job done (40:00)
Ira Hunt
Major General Ira “Jim” Hunt (USMA ’45) grew up at West Point while his father was teaching in the Department of Social Sciences. He was a Cadet during World War II which not only provided focus, but also lent to frustration at not being able to be in the war. MG Hunt became an Engineer and was initially stationed in Germany repairing bridges and building housing for displaced-persons in war-torn Europe. After returning from Europe, MG Hunt attended MIT and returned to West Point in 1950 to teach in the Department of Mechanics. During his tenure teaching, he was selected to teach Thermodynamics “Steam” for a year at the Naval Academy. After teaching at West Point, he received a Freeman Scholarship to study engineering in Europe and earned his first PhD. After assignments studying the shoreline at the Great Lakes, building highways in Korea, developing processes to survey land from satellites, and planning for the Cold War in Europe, he was deployed to Vietnam as Chief of Staff in the 9th Infantry Division in 1968-69. In this interview, he discusses the importance lifelong learning, Secretary Robert McNamara, and developing a team in the 9th Infantry Division with Major General Julian Ewell. He also discusses operations in Vietnam, pacification, and working with CORDS and the South Vietnamese. He talks about the change between attrition and pacification and how Tet was the watershed between those two approaches. MG Hunt discusses the My Lai investigation, and his time Deputy Commander of USSAG (U.S. Support Activities Group) at the end of the war. Finally, he relates a story about the time he was mistakenly reported killed in Vietnam and how his wife was notified.
Interviewer:David Siry
Conflicts: Topics: Class Year:
Branch:Engineer
Unit:12th Engineer Battalion & Commanded a Brigade in 9th Infantry Division
Institution:USMA
Graduation Year:1945 (Cullum 14451)
Service Start:1945
Service End:1978
