Mr. Oliver H. Hunter, IV
Mr. Ollie Hunter hails from New Castle, Pennsylvania, and is a 1974 graduate of the United States Military Academy. Commissioned in the Infantry, he attended the Airborne, Ranger, and Infantry Officer Basic Courses at Fort Benning. His first assignment was as the Executive Officer in an Infantry Basic and Advanced Individual Training Company at Fort Polk, Louisiana. In 1976, 2LT Hunter attended flight school and the AH-1 Cobra qualification course. That same year he became an Armor officer.
In 1977, 1LT Hunter and his family were assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fulda, Germany, where he served as attack section leader, platoon leader, and assistant operations officer in the regiment’s Attack Helicopter Troop.
Following the Armor Officer Advanced Course at Fort Knox, the Hunters were stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas, with the Air Cavalry Troop, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment. CPT Hunter served as the troop’s aero-recon platoon leader and operations officer from 1980 to 1982. The Hunter family was then assigned to Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho, were he was the operations officer for Air Troop, 116th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
In 1986, MAJ Hunter was assigned to Fort Kobbe, Panama, and served as battalion executive officer and commander of Bravo Company, 1-228th Aviation Regiment (OH58, UH-1H, CH-47). After graduation from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, in 1990, the Hunters were stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, with the United States Transportation Command. Hunter served as a Staff Plans Officer with J3/J4 and as Assistant Executive Officer to USCINCTRANS.
In 1993, LTC Hunter received command of 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment (Attack), in Ansbach, Germany, and served as its commander until 1995. The battalion was recognized as USAREUR’s top battalion in 1994 and 1995 and Army Aviation’s top unit in 1995 with the awarding of the LTG Ellis D. Parker Trophy. Battalion command was followed by assignment to the Combat Maneuver Training Center, Hohenfels, where Hunter was the Senior Aviation Observer/Controller until 1996. COL Hunter graduated from the United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, the following year.
Colonel Hunter commanded the 11th Aviation Regiment (Attack), Illesheim, Germany, from September 1997 to August 1999. During his tenure the regiment participated in deployments to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, and Kosovo. Following brigade command, he served as the Chief, Commander’s Initiatives Group, USAREUR, Heidelberg.
In 2000, the Hunters traveled to the Greatland where Ollie served as Deputy Commanding Officer, United States Army Alaska, until 2004. Stationed at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, he was also charged with the responsibility of brigade commander for USARAK’s six separate battalions – aviation, special troops, military police, finance, personnel, and the Northern Warfare Training Center.
Mr. Hunter has a Masters degree in International Relations from Webster University. He is a Master Aviator and his awards include three Legions of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Army Meritorious Service Medals, and two Army Commendation Medals. He has accumulated 2700 flight hours in attack and assault aircraft.
Ollie Hunter retired 1 July 2004 with over 30 years of active service. Upon retirement he served the U.S. Army for one year with the Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan, Kabul. There he was a mentor to the Afghan National Army Deputy G3 for Operations, Readiness and Mobilization. His major projects included creation of Afghanistan’s National Military Command Center and the army’s Readiness Reporting System.
Upon return from Afghanistan, Ollie served with the Center for Army Leadership, Fort Leavenworth. Assigned to the School for Command Preparation, he was a mentor and 360-degree assessment coach (Army Leader Assessment and Feedback Program) for the battalion and brigade command designees attending the Army’s Pre-Command Course.
Ollie then served as a curriculum developer with the Department of Distributed Education and its Advanced Operations and Warfighter Course, Fort Leavenworth. This assignment was followed by a return to the School for Command Preparation where he was chief of the Brigade Combat Team Commanders Development Program, a pre-command course uniquely tailored to prepare colonel commanders for stewardship of these modular formations.
On 3 March 2008, Ollie Hunter became the first Director of the Mission Support Element at Fort Riley, Kansas.
His hobbies include big game hunting internationally and stateside, team competitive trap and skeet shooting, long-distance running, custom ammunition reloading, canoeing, and reading.