OREGON — On March 3, Oregon VFW Post 8739 presented Greg Hunter of the Oregon Fire Department with its EMT of the Year Award. VFW Senior Vice Commander Lee Ossmann and Assistant Quartermaster Robert Coulter along with OFD Chief Michael Knoup presented Hunter with a certificate and his wife Lyn Hunter pinned his award on his chest.
The VFW congratulated Hunter and thanked him for serving the community. The award is given out yearly by the Oregon VFW to a firefighter and/or EMT.
“I'm just a small cog in everything that gets done here,” Hunter said. “I'm thankful to all of the other people that work here that help me to do my job and keep me safe.”
Hunter comes from a military family. His father served in the Air Force. He was the first of his family to not go into the service, due to his desire to become a park ranger and the fact that there wasn’t a war going on. After long conversations with his family, Hunter went to college and realized his dream of becoming a park ranger.
While serving as a park ranger in the 1980s, Hunter joined the local fire department in the area. After he was hired by the conservation police, he let his firefighting licenses expire while he worked as an officer for 26 years before getting back into the firefighting field.
“I'm 65 now,” Hunter said. “I know firefighting is a young man's job, but thankfully I'm in pretty good shape and I work with some wonderful people here to help with the load.”
Hunter and his wife have two daughters, Breanne and Shelby. He said his family supports him “100 percent” and still worries about him despite his decades of experience as a first responder.
Hunter thanked the VFW for the award on March 3.
“My dad was in the Air Force and he was very proud of his service and he always raised me to serve and take care of things,” Hunter said. “He thought I'd be in the military one day, but I took this route instead. He was always proud of this route and I had an uncle who was a firefighter/EMT who encouraged me to do this. It's a gift I had. I wouldn't be a great business man or school teacher. But I've always been good at helping other people. I'm glad I can still do it. I don't have a retirement date. All my certifications are still good and I plan to get more. And even after I retire, I still plan on helping out around here. I'll know when the time comes.”
