Captain T (Tom Hunnicutt)
CAPTAIN “T”
(Arkansas’ Folk Music Ambassador)
Captain “T” is the alterego of one “Tom Hunnicutt”, who currently resides in Williford, Arkansas. Tom was born in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Arkansas with his mother, brothers and sister at age 11. From that point on Tom was raised in the Opposition Community, just off Spring River, where he played, fished, trapped and enjoyed life as a teenager. He attended school in one of the old “One Room School Houses” where the teacher taught all the grades up through the eight grade. His mother, Odell Linda Perry Hunnicutt raised nine of her eleven children right there in Opposition.
Tom learned to play the guitar as a young boy and started singing early in his life and he tells us he’ll be singing when he dies most likely. He first started singing all the old Gene Autry tunes, but as time passed he found himself copy cating all the country and folk singers of his day. In 1956 he joined the United States Marine Corps and served twice in South Vietnam. Even during his combat days all the country boys took their music boxes with them and jammed in places most of us would never consider. Just imagine sitting on a bunker playing away with someone yelling, “Hey, you nuts, that is INCOMING!!!” Well, they just moved inside, but kept playing, as if it was more important than heading for cover.
The term Captain “T” goes a bit further than his Marine Corps days as he was also commissioned into the California National Guard Reserves, as a Captain during the mid-late 1980s. He soon found himself becoming the Commanding Officer of the 502nd Infantry Battalion, 5th Infantry Brigade, which was commanded by Colonel David Patton (the nephew of the late General Patton). However, during that period his health became an issue and in the late 1980s he had to resign his commission. After a period of recovery the doctors recommended he return home to Arkansas and truly retire. Returning home to Arkansas the state he loved and missed helped him recover, but not fully and he became disabled do to a number of war-related problems and injuries. Therefore, you’ll notice he now sits in a chair while playing his guitar, as he could loose his balance without notice, and he has had one too many bad falls…which adds to his list of injuries.
Captain “T”s music is unpretentious and home grown with a few laughs and tears, but it will take you back in time to the good old days. Yet, even the young can relate to his songs, as they reflect a bit of today…for Arkansas is the Natural State, and no body can take that away from you and no body can change it either. A proud heritage is worthy of having songs wrote about it! That’s also why they call him Arkansas’ Folk Music Ambassador.
MILITARY BIOGRAPHY
of
1st Lt. Thomas Hunnicutt
1st Lt. Tom Hunnicutt enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1956 and began his career in the Operational Communications Field. Transferred to South Camp Fuji, Japan he was initially assigned duty as a Field Wireman and Switchboard Operator with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines. In the fall of 1957 the 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines moved to Okinawa where he attended the 3rd Marine Division’s Manual Morse School at Camp Koza, Okinawa. Returning to the states in 1958 he was assigned duty with 7th Motor Transport Battalion, 1st Marine Division, FMF. In 1959 he attended Radio Supervisors’ Course and in 1960 he graduated from NCO School, 1st Marine Division Schools, Camp Horno, Camp Pendleton, California. In 1961 he attended Marine Corps Cryptographer’s School at MCRD, San Diego, California. Upon completion of this course he worked at the 1st Marine Division Headquarters’ Crypto Center until being transferred to 7th Communication Battalion.
In1963 he was recruited into the Marine Corps Cryptologic field. Attending the Army Cryptoanalysis School at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Upon graduation he was transferred to Company E, Marine Support Battalion in early 1964 at Kamiseya, Japan and assigned duty in Naval Security Group’s Direction Finding, Pacific Net Control. In early 1967 he was assigned duty with Company D, Marine Support Battalion at Torii Station, Okinawa as a traffic analyst. In 1969 he was transferred to 1st Radio Battalion, Third Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) in Vietnam as the Cryptoanalyst Chief. In early 1970 he was further reassigned to work with the United States Army’s Americal Division in southern I Corps. In August 1970 he departed Vietnam for 1st Radio Battalion, Sub-Unit 2 in Hawaii. Assigned as the Chief Cryptoanalyst he was placed in charge or maintaining unique contingency packages concerning future military operations. In early 1971 he was detailed to Taiwan for training with the U.S. Army Security Agency Unit and in 1971-72, he was assigned to temporary duty in Northern Thailand working with the Army Security Agency (ASA) and CIA against communist forces operation in Laos and Burma. In April 1972 he returned to South Vietnam with the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and served as the Chief Cryptoanalyst aboard the USS Blue Ridge and was commissioned on July 2nd, 1972 to 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. In mid 1973 he was reassigned to Company “A”, Marine Support Battalion at the National Security Agency (NSA) were he served as the Head of the Burmese Section for the South East Asian Department.
In addition to his military duties 1st Lt. Hunnicutt also became a noted martial artist during his military time. He was introduced to the martial arts upon becoming a Marine in 1956 and continued his training throughout his Marine Corps career. In the mid-1990s, the Marine Corps adopted his concepts and ideas to form their current Close Combat Training Program throughout the Corps. In 1997 he was inducted into the World Sokeship Council (The world’s largest Grand Masters Council) as a Grand Master. In 1999 he was further honored for writing seven historic articles about the late Grand Master Hohan Soken and the Matsumura Seito legacy for various magazine around the world. In 2003 the All Okinawa Ozark Karate Association honored him with a Professorship of Martial Arts, Ph.D., for fifty years of martial arts studies.
His military decorations include: Bronze Star with Combat “V”; the Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon; the Navy Unit Commendation with 3 stars; the Marine Corps Meritorious Unit Commendation with 3 stars; the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; the Philippine’s Presidential Unit Commendation; the Marine Good Conduct Medal with 4 stars; the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry; the Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Medal; the Vietnamese Service Medal with 4 stars; the Vietnamese Campaign medal; U.S. Army Unit Commendation – 2 awards; and the United States National Defense Medal.