James P. Hunter

James Patrick Hunter (January 22, 1985 – June 18, 2010), of South Amherst, Ohio, was an Army journalist stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Hunter was the first Army journalist to die in combat since the beginning of the War in Afghanistan.

Career The photograph and short biography of Army Staff Sgt. James Hunter displays near the Journalists Memorial at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Hunter was among 77 fallen journalists honored at the 2011 rededication of the memorial, May 16, 2011.Staff Sergeant Hunter spent seven years in the U.S. Army, beginning in August 2003. A veteran of two tours in Iraq, Hunter was on duty in Afghanistan at the time of his death and was killed 25 days into his current tour of deployment. During his service to the United States, Hunter was recognized for his work with awards such as the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Army Commendation Medal, which are both from the Armed Forces.

Context In 2011, Kandahar was one of the last Taliban strongholds.

In June 2011, NATO forces were launching their major offensive in Kandahar, as part of the new war strategy that was launched earlier that year in Marjah. The new strategy focused on clearing Taliban strongholds while protecting local population. They brought in large numbers of U.S. and Afghan troops into the city to participate in the "clearing phase" of the plan.

The 23 other journalists who were killed in Afghanistan since 2001 were civilians who covered various topics ranging from human rights violations to politics.

Personal Staff Sergeant James Patrick Hunter was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to Patricia M. Phillips and William T. Hunter.

Memorial services were held for Staff Sergeant James Hunter at Firelands High School in South Amherst,

He was laid to rest at Lexington Cemetery in Lexington with services being held in Winchester, Kentucky.