CSUB student delving into local military history

Robert Hunt's knowledge of U.S. history and his nine years of experience in the military have collided in a way he never expected.

Hunt was recently selected to receive a summer fellowship at the Kern County Museum. For the past month, he has been examining documents, photos, uniforms and other artifacts in its archives relating to the county's military history, the most interesting of which will be featured in an upcoming exhibit.

Hunt - who graduated from California State University, Bakersfield with his bachelor's in history last fall and is now a graduate student - is receiving a $3,000 grant as part of the fellowship, which is funded by the Harry and Ethel West Foundation.

"Military history is actually what I'm most interested in," he said. "This is a great way to build my job experience while learning more about local history. I'm very thankful for this opportunity."

Hunt said he was a little surprised by the amount of material that the museum has. He's enjoyed getting to sort through the photographs, letters, official documents, uniforms and other items in the collection.

"That's been a highlight of the job, to learn who all these people were," he said.

Hunt has been working under the supervision of the museum's curator, Ashleigh Meyers, who has already been impressed by his work ethic and passion for the project.

"He is a hard worker and very knowledgeable about the subject, already correcting some of the minor inaccuracies on the items' labels," she said. "He is efficient and excited for the tasks, even when the technology is being frustrating. It is a great pleasure to have him as our West Research Fellow."

Hunt initially sought to volunteer at the Kern County Museum until Mike McCoy, the museum's director, told him about the fellowship and urged him to apply.

"Mike came up with the idea of starting an exhibit dedicated to local military history," Hunt said. "Because I was in the Marine Corps for so long, he thought I was a good candidate to get that started and that I would be a good fit for the fellowship."

Hunt, a Florida native, signed up for the Marine Corps as soon as he turned 18 and served as an intelligence specialist from 2011 through 2020. During that time, he was primarily stationed in the United States and Afghanistan.

After nine years in the Corps, he was ready to move on and work toward pursuing a career in history.

Hunt and his wife moved to Bakersfield after she got a teaching job here. He then began working toward getting a college degree, first by attending Bakersfield College and then transferring to California State University, Bakersfield in fall 2021.

Hunt has been heavily involved with the Veterans Success Center during his time at CSUB, especially as an undergraduate. He has worked for the center, helping inform student veterans about their benefits, manage the office and plan events. He was also an active member of the Veterans Club on campus.

"The center has been just phenomenal. Everyone is very flexible, very understanding," he said. "Working there has enabled me to meet so many people that I otherwise probably never would have met. It's the people that can really make or break a place."

This spring at CSUB, Hunt started pursuing his master's in history, a subject he's always been interested in.

"I like knowing where everything comes from, how everything relates to one another," he said. "History is about looking at what happened before and seeing how we got to where we are now. I feel that history is an all-encompassing way to understand the world around you."

Getting an intimate look at items from local military history at the Kern County Museum has led Hunt to reflect on his own military experience and how different it is compared to veterans from other eras.

"I've come to appreciate all the established and rigorous training and equipment mechanisms that exist today that were absent before World War II," he said. "I had a lot of training and gear that World War I veterans couldn't imagine, and I sure wish they received before they were sent to the trenches to fight the Germans."

Hunt hopes that kind of appreciation is something that attendees of the upcoming exhibit - which has yet to be formally announced - will also walk away with after experiencing it.

"I hope people learn the role that Kern County, and many of its residents, (have) played in the contribution to America's wartime society and the patriotism that swelled throughout the community during those difficult times."

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