Army Sgt. 1st Class Ruth Hunt is known at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences here as the Army senior enlisted advisor and noncommissioned officer-in-charge of laboratory animal medicine.
Yet, few people are aware that she’s also a published author.
Hunt’s most-recent publication is the poem, “End of Watch,” which she wrote to cope with the passing of some of her peers.
Her poem appears in Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 5, an anthology series of writings from service members.
‘You Can Get Every Thought, Feeling, Experience’ on Paper
Hunt said she enjoys writing, because “you can get every thought, feeling and experience out on paper without feeling judged. It's your choice to share your writings, and you choose which specific works you wish to make public.”
She added, “I've found that the stories I'm most terrified of telling openly are the ones that seem to receive the biggest response. Writing connects people when readers discover they may be experiencing something similar to the story you have shared. When they see how you made it through, it reassures them that they can make it as well.”
A writer since grade school, Hunt has been pursuing her interest alongside her military career. Currently, she is enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts degree program at University of Maryland University College, majoring in English. She is scheduled to graduate in May 2017 with the intention to begin her master’s degree immediately after.
A high school teacher encouraged her interest in writing, giving her a handmade journal to write down ideas.
“The journal was a high school graduation gift that I’ve kept with me. I have different journals for different things,” Hunt said. “I have one for my kids; I keep a book of quotes for each. I write funny stuff they say in there. A lot of [the longer things I write] are in Word documents. The high school journal is mostly for short poems or experiences I am having at that moment.”
While most of her work is nonfiction, Hunt likes to relax by reading works of fiction, particularly the works of authors such as Kim Harrison and Kelly Armstrong. She cites Maya Angelou, particularly her poem, “Why the Caged Bird Sings,” as one of her influences.
First Published in College
Hunt said her first publication was in college. “More Than a Soul Mate,” she said, was a nonfiction short story about herself and her adopted son as they dealt with her upcoming deployment. It appeared in Mothers and Other Creatures, a Biostories Magazine Anthology.
“Part of the final for my college course was to submit a work somewhere for publication. Whether we got in or not, we had to show the teacher that we had done all the steps and sent it in,” Hunt said. “So, I just searched for a journal that kind of fit the story, submitted it and, sure enough, they got back to me and told me they’d like to publish it,” she said. “It was cool that it came out of a college assignment.”
Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Hunt first enlisted in the Army 16 years ago. She says she’s always cared for animals, and decided to pursue a career in the Army because it is the only branch with veterinary technicians.
“I’m very impressed by Sgt. 1st Class Hunt’s creative talent and her ability to achieve this and other professional and personal goals," said Army Lt. Col. Larry Shelton, Jr., director of LAM at USU. “This is particularly significant given her current service in two significant leadership roles at USU. Very inspiring, above and beyond accomplishment!”