Quick Facts
Biography
General LeRoy Philip Hunt (March 17, 1892 – February 8, 1968) was a United States Marine Corps general, who served with distinction during World War I in France and later commanded the 2nd Marine Division at the end of World War II.
Biography
Hunt was born in 1892 in Newark, New Jersey, and was a graduate of the University of California. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1917 and served with great distinction with the 5th Marines during World War I, receiving the Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Cross for his actions.
Postwar assignments were varied, ranging from sea duty to commanding officer of the Western Mail Guard Detachment and work with the Work Projects Administration's Matanuska Colonization venture in Alaska.
Following a short tour in Iceland, he was given command of the 5th Marines which he led during the early stages of the Battle of Guadalcanal. As the 2nd Marine Division's assistant division commander, he participated in mopping-up operations on Saipan and Tinian and in the Okinawa Campaign. Appointed division commander, he led the division in the occupation of Japan and for a period was Commanding General, I Army Corps. Returning to the United States, Hunt assumed duties as Commanding General, Department of Pacific and then Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic.
General Hunt died in 1968 in San Francisco, California.
Awards and decorations
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| 1st Row | Navy Cross | Distinguished Service Cross | Silver Star w/ 2 oak leaf clusters | French Fourragère | |||||||||
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| 2nd Row | Legion of Merit w/ 1 oak leaf cluster | Bronze Star | Purple Heart w/ 1 oak leaf cluster | Navy Presidential Unit Citation w/ 1 service star | |||||||||
| 3rd Row | Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal | World War I Victory Medal w/ Aisne, St. Mihiel, Aisne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, & the Defensive Sector clasps | Army of Occupation of Germany Medal | Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1933) | |||||||||
| 4th Row | Yangtze Service Medal | American Defense Service Medal | American Campaign Medal | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 3 service stars | |||||||||
| 5th Row | World War II Victory Medal | Navy Occupation Service Medal | Croix de guerre (WWI) w/ 2 gilt stars & palm | Nicaraguan Medal of Distinction and Diploma | |||||||||