Remembering World War II

Leonard Clifton Hunt

Leonard Clifton Hunt Staff Sergeant 11055159 675th Bomber Squadron (Dauntless Demons), 417th Bombardment Group, USAAF Oct 22, 1911 New Grafton, Queens Co., NS July 17, 1942 Boston, Massachusetts Worcester, Massachusetts 30 5 feet, 8 inches Ruddy Brown Brown Leonard Hunt (Father) Fayville, Mass. January 11, 1945 33 Long Island National Cemetery, New York Section J, Site 15389 Leonard Clifton Hunt was the son of Mr. Leonard Hunt (1877-1969) and Mrs. Violet May (Cook) Hunt (1882-1950). Leonard had nine siblings; his father was born in New Grafton, Queens Co., NS, and his mother was born in in Halifax. Leonard was living in Lenora, Dewey, Oklahoma, and working for J H Allen when he registered for the US Draft on October 16, 1940, but by the time he enlisted he was back in Massachusetts in the summer of 1942. Leonard served with the 675th Bomber Squadron (nicknamed the “Dauntless Demons”) which was part of the 417 Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Force. After December 22, 1944, the 617th Bomber Squadron was stationed at McGuire Field, Mindoro, in the Philippines. The 675th Squadron received a Distinguished Unit Citation for attacking Japanese convoys at Lingayen between December 30, 1944, and January 2, 1945, an action that not only impaired enemy shipping and supply strength, but also helped to clear the way for the American invasion of Luzon. During these attacks the 417th Group sank 36,000 tons of shipping including a freighter, a destroyer escort and several transports. Throughout the first half of 1945, the 675th supported ground forces and continued to attack enemy airfields, transportation, and installations on Luzon, Cebu, Negros, and Mindanao. Staff Sergeant Leonard Clifton Hunt was killed in action from ‘a shell fragment, flak, shrapnel’ at Bolog, Ifugao Province, Cordillera, in the Philippines on January 11, 1945. He was interred at the Long Island National Cemetery in Framingham, New York, on July 8, 1949.

Sources: findagrave