A Columbus serviceman killed in action three years ago was a key figure in an unexpected tribute made a thousand miles away.
On the night of Sunday, Aug. 2, a man walked into a waterfront seafood restaurant at historic Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts. As he ordered three beers at the CabbyShack, the customer told his waitress he was waiting for two friends.
After drinking one of the beers, the man put money on the table, got up and quietly walked out of the restaurant.
As the CabbyShack waitress was cleaning up, she found the man had left more than cash. Placed next to two full glasses of beer were separate photographs of two deceased members of the First Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division.
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One of the deceased was U.S. Army Sgt. Jonathon Hunter, a 2011 Columbus East High School graduate who was only 23 when he was killed in Afghanistan. The other photograph was that of Spc. Christopher Harris, a North Carolina native who died along with Hunter when their convoy was hit by a suicide bomber.
Between the photographs was a small note that listed Hunter and Harris’ names, ranks, and the date they were killed in action: Aug. 2, 2017.
One final statement was written on the note that was left on the third anniversary of the soldiers’ death: “Not forgotten!”
Restaurant manager Gene Dupuis’ account of what took place was extensively reported throughout a number of Boston’s media outlets. A photograph of the tribute was shared on social media more than 1,500 times by Thursday morning.
And that’s just shares from the original CabbyShack of Plymouth’s Facebook page. It’s likely that different generations of the same post have circulated nationwide several thousands of times.
While those without military experience might consider the story unique, most veterans understand this type of tribute is not unusual, according to Don Finnegan, director of the Indiana chapter of Honor and Remember. His nonprofit was created to ensure that fallen military personnel are not forgotten.
There are probably hundreds of variations of this type of tribute made at bars or restaurants all the time by someone who either served with the fallen warrior – or knew the deceased well, Finnegan said.
“Usually, they buy the drink of choice of the fallen hero and put it up on the bar,” Finnegan said. “The person making the tribute usually sits by themselves. They come specifically to pay their respects.”
So if this patriotic gesture is not unusual, why did the story make big news in Boston? And why were so many people touched by one man’s heartfelt remembrance?
“With all the troubles we have today, this was something positive happening now in America,” said Columbus resident Mark Hunter, the father of Jonathon Hunter.
Adjectives like “moving,” “awesome,” “beautiful” and “touching” were prominent in the comment section of the restaurant’s Facebook page. But the message that was repeated the most in the comments was that the ultimate sacrifice of Hunter and Harris should never be forgotten.
One question Mark Hunter keeps receiving since the CabbyShack post went viral was whether he knows who made the tribute.
“I have a pretty good idea,” Hunter says.
When questioned, Hunter spoke of an Irish-born soldier who served with his son. He was the son of a policeman who had moved to Boston with his parents when he was just a boy. Boston is only 40 miles northwest of Plymouth Harbor.
The soldier, whom Hunter says still maintains a strong Irish brogue, traveled from Afghanistan to Columbus three years ago to attend Sgt. Hunter’s funeral on Aug. 26, 2017 in the Columbus East gymnasium, Hunter said.
The soldier expressed a strong sense of grief regarding his fallen comrades, and even arrived early to watch a tribute to his friend before Jonathon’s former football team, the Columbus East Olympians, took on crosstown rival Columbus North the night before the funeral, Mark Hunter said.
The last thing Hunter heard about the soldier from Boston was that he was honorably discharged from the military.
Meanwhile, a newer post on the CabbyShack’s Facebook page displays a similar tribute left in honor of another fallen hero: U.S. Navy Petty Officer Timothy J. Cook, who was killed in Fallujah, Iraq in 2013.
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A brief but formal remembrance of Sgt. Jonathon Hunter will be held in Columbus late this month.
Sponsored by the Indiana chapter of Honor and Remember, the 15-minute presentation will take place on Saturday, Aug. 29. It is tentatively scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. in the mini-park located near the intersection of Indiana Avenue and State Street. That’s where a tribute to Hunter was created several months ago.
The Indiana Patriot Guard, as well as a number of Gold Star families, are expected to be in attendance, chapter director Don Flannigan said.
One of the highlights of the remembrance will be the presentation of an “Honor and Remember” flag to the Hunter family. The flag has a large horizontal red band at the top, with a smaller horizontal white band at the bottom with the words “Honor and Remember” on it. In the center is a gold star and a flame.
The name of Sgt. Jonathon Hunter will be embroidered at the bottom of the flag, Flannigan said.
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U.S. Army Sgt. Jonathon Hunter was the son of Mark Hunter of Columbus and Kimberly Thompson of Nashville, as well as the stepson of Brian Thompson of Nashville.
The 2011 Columbus East High School graduate was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Hunter married North Carolina native Whitney Stewart nine months before being deployed to Afghanistan in early July, 2017.
While in service to his country, Hunter was the recipient of the following military recognition: Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, Basic Combat and Skills Badge, Basic Marksmanship, Qualification Badge (Expert), German Parachutist Badge (Bronze) and Overseas service bar.
Jonathon Hunter was 23 when he died Aug. 2, 2017, as a result of a suicide bombing attack on a NATO convoy near Kandahar, Afghanistan. Sgt. Hunter, who was providing security during his first deployment, was one of two American soldiers killed during the attack. The other was Spec. Christopher Harris of Jackson Springs, North Carolina.
Posthumously, Hunter was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Star, NATO Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge.
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