Benjamin Thurman Hacker
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Rear Admiral Benjamin Thurman Hacker (1935-2003) was a U.S. Navy officer, who became the first Naval Flight Officer (NFO) to achieve Flag rank.
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Early Life
Hacker was born September 19, 1935 in Washington, D.C. His father, C. Leroy Hacker, was an author, Baptist pastor and a chaplain in the U.S. Army. His mother, Alzeda, was an accomplished musician. They had three children, of whom Benjamin was the eldest.
Benjamin attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, graduating in 1957 with a B.A. Degree in Science. He married his wife Jeanne, in 1958.
Naval Service
After completing the Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida in September 1958, Hacker was commissioned Ensign and subsequently received the designation of Naval Flight Officer. Hacker's experience as a Tactical Coordinator in P2V "Neptune" and P3C "Orion" aircraft included numerous operational assignments in the far reaches of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Mediterranean Sea.
He took command[1] (http://pub10.bravenet.com/photocenter/album.php?img=8686&usernum=774301397) of the U.S. Naval Facility, Barbados, West Indies in 1968. In 1972 he established the Naval ROTC Unit at Florida A & M University, Tallahassee, Florida and served as the first Commanding Officer and Professor of Naval Science of this unit. In 1974 he became Commanding Officer of Patrol Squadron TWENTY-FOUR, a P3C "Orion" Squadron stationed in Jacksonville, Florida.
In June 1978 he completed studies in National Security Policy at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces[2] (http://www.ndu.edu/icaf), and earned a Masters of Science Degree in Administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. In August 1978 he was assigned as Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station, Brunswick, Maine.
In 1980 Rear Admiral Hacker was selected for flag rank, and assumed duties as Commander, U.S. Military Enlistment Processing Command with headquarters in Fort Sheridan, Illinois. In 1982 he became Commander Fleet Air Mediterranean; Commander Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Forces, Sixth Fleet; and Commander Maritime Air Forces Mediterranean with headquarters in Naples Italy. In 1986 he was assigned to Naval Training Center, San Diego. During this assignment he was also assigned Commander Naval Base San Diego. He held both commands simultaneously for several months. In 1988, at the completion of his assignment as Commander Naval Base San Diego, Rear Admiral Hacker retired from the U.S. Navy.
Rear Admiral Hacker was the first Naval Flight Officer (NFO) to be selected for Flag rank in the United States Navy. He held ten commands over the course of his 30-year military career. Included among Rear Admiral Hacker's personal decorations are the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with three Gold Stars, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Civilian
After retiring from the Navy, Rear Admiral Hacker worked at financial-services firm USAA as assistant vice president for policy service, at the organization's western regional office in Sacramento.
In the early 1990s, at the request of then-Governor Pete Wilson, Hacker served for two years as director of the California Department of Veterans Affairs and then rejoined USAA as regional vice president and general manager of its western region. He moved to San Antonio in his next post in December 1995.
Hacker also held posts as Regional Senior Vice President/General Manager in the company's Mid-Atlantic Region headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. Rear Admiral Hacker retired from USAA in 1998 but continued to serve on various local and national Boards.
On December 28th, 2003 Rear Admiral Hacker passed away from complications relating to Leukemia, a disease which he battled for 12 years.
External links
- Web Tribute (http://www.hackerweb.net/bthacker)
- Thoughts of those who knew him... (http://www.legacy.com/washingtonpost/Guestbook.asp?Page=Guestbook&PersonID=1746775)
- Arlington Cemetery (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/bthacker.htm)
- Black Patriots (http://www.blackpatriots.org/honoree.cfm?id=11)
- Center Commanders (http://www.quarterdeck.org/book/cencoms/hacker.html)
- Navy Patrol Squadron VP-24 (http://www.vpnavy.com/vp24_shipmates.html)
- Alpha Phi Alpha (http://www.alphaphialpha.net/alpha/legacy/alumni.html)
Article
- Tallahassee Democrat (Feb. 24, 2004) (http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/local/8024657.htm)