Lt. Jason Hunt Was Shot Down Over France 100 Years Ago

One hundred years and three months ago, Lt. Jason Hunt was shot down over France while conducting a photo reconnaissance mission by Germany's "Flying Circus". Friday afternoon, Purple Hearts Reunited presented a Purple Heart to 70-year-old Howard Scott, one of the airman's distant relatives.

Lt. Hunt was Scott's uncle, but they never met. He said the ceremony was "emotional" and let the family know that his "contribution was recognized", according to a report from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Hunt was flying a Nieuport biplane with the 27th Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group when he was shot down on August 1, 1918. The squadron's mission was to conduct aerial surveillance and bombing missions, shoot down German balloons and harass enemy ground forces.

Hunt's remains were never recovered. Scott contacted Purple Hearts United and related the story, saying that Hunt had never been formally recognized by the government because he had initially been listed as missing in action. The group's founder, Vermont Army National Guard Capt. Zachariah Fike, began to look into the events that would eventually lead to Friday's ceremony.

(Image provided by Purple Hearts Reunited)

FMI: Source report