Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Hunter Scott
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Scott lived in Centennial, Colorado. At twelve years old, he created a National History Day project on the sinking of the United States Ship Indianapolis. Scott became interested in the subject after seeing it discussed in the film Jaws.
(Many of the deaths on the ship were due to shark attacks) Scott interviewed nearly 150 survivors of the Indianapolis sinking and reviewed 800 documents.
The young man concluded that the ship"s Captain Charles Butler McVay III, who had been blamed for the tragedy, was innocent. Scott appeared before the United States Congress with survivors of the United States Ship Indianapolis to argue that McVay should be exonerated.
In his testimony, Scott said: "This is Captain McVay"s dog tag from when he was a cadet at the Naval Academy. As you can see, it has his thumbprint on the back.
I carry this as a reminder of my mission in the memory of a man who ended his own life in 1968.
I carry this dog tag to remind me that only in the United States can one person make a difference no matter what the age. I carry this dog tag to remind me of the privilege and responsibility that I have to carry forward the torch of honor passed to me by the men of the United States Ship Indianapolis."
The testimony of Scott and the Indianapolis Survivors Organization resulted in passage of a Congressional resolution, signed by President Bill Clinton in October 2000, exonerating McVay. Scott"s efforts received national media attention.
Florida governor Jeb Bush declared August 24, 2001 "Hunter Scott Day." Scott was featured in George Magazine as "one of the most intriguing political figures" of the year.
In 2004, Scott spoke at events surrounding the dedication of the National World World War II Memorial in Washington, District of Columbia He studied economics and physics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship, and graduated in May 2007.
As of 2012, Lieutenant Hunter Scott, United States Navy, was a Naval Aviator and Microbiology and Botany-60R Seahawk pilot based at National Academy of Sciences, USA North Island in San Diego, California. Scott"s story and that of the Indianapolis were told in Left for Dead: A Young Manitoba"s Search for Justice for the United States Ship Indianapolis by Pete Nelson. Scott supplied the preface to the book
In 2011, Warner Brothers obtained the rights to develop the story into a feature film with Robert Downey, Junior. as producer.
