Al Hubbard (VVAW)
Encyclopedia
Alfred H. Hubbard is a U.S. Air Force
veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam wars, anti-war and civil rights activist, former executive secretary of Vietnam Veterans Against the War
and poet.
He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and entered the Air Force planning to make it his career. He was forced to take an early retirement in 1966 after suffering an injury during a plane crash. After leaving the service, he enrolled at the University of Washington
and earned an undergraduate degree.
in October 1952, reinlisted twice and was honorably discharged after 14 years of service. At the time of his discharge, he was an instructor/ flight engineer on C-124 Globemaster with the 7th Air Transport Squadron, McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Washington
. Hubbard was awarded a Korean Service Medal
, United Nations Medal, National Defense Medal, four Good Conduct Medal
s, Air Force Longevity Service Award
, Air Force Unit Award
and Air Force Expeditionary Medal
. He was a flight engineer with the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron at Tachikawa Air Force Base
, Japan
.
Hubbard was injured in a military plane crash and is registered with the VA
with a service-connected disability rating of 60 per cent.
, and became an active organizer for the group.
During the publicity generated by the April, 1971 anti-war protest march on Washington DC, Hubbard made claims about his rank during interviews that he later admitted were false. He was introduced on Meet the Press
as a decorated Air Force
captain who had spent two years in Vietnam. After receiving a tip that Hubbard was a sergeant and not a captain, NBC contacted Hubbard about the discrepancy. Hubbard admitted to lying about being an officer, and publicly acknowledged it when he appeared on the Today Show the following morning. Frank Jordan
, then Washington Bureau Chief of NBC News, recalls Hubbard's explanation for why he claimed to be an officer, "He was convinced no one would listen to a black man who was also an enlisted man."
William Overend in the National Review
reported that a Defense Department news release stated: "Alfred H. Hubbard entered the Air Force in October 1952, re-enlisted twice and was honorably discharged in October 1966, when his enlistment expired. At the time of his discharge he was an instructor flight engineer on C-123 aircraft with the 7th Air Transport Squadron, McCord (sic) Air Force Base, Tacoma, Washington. There is no record of any service in Vietnam, but since he was an air crew member he could have been in Vietnam for brief periods during cargo loading, unloading operations or for crew rest purposes. His highest grade held was staff sergeant." Defense Department officials stressed it was still possible Hubbard could have served in Vietnam, flying in and out from Tacoma.
Historian and author of Home to War: A History of the Vietnam Veteran's Movement, Gerald Nicosia commented on the Hubbard military record controversy:
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam wars, anti-war and civil rights activist, former executive secretary of Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation, originally created to oppose the Vietnam War. VVAW describes itself as a national veterans' organization that campaigns for peace, justice, and the rights of all United States military veterans...
and poet.
He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and entered the Air Force planning to make it his career. He was forced to take an early retirement in 1966 after suffering an injury during a plane crash. After leaving the service, he enrolled at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and earned an undergraduate degree.
Military service
Hubbard enlisted in the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in October 1952, reinlisted twice and was honorably discharged after 14 years of service. At the time of his discharge, he was an instructor/ flight engineer on C-124 Globemaster with the 7th Air Transport Squadron, McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. Hubbard was awarded a Korean Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
The Korean Service Medal is an award of the United States military and was created in November 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary United States medal for participation in the Korean War and is awarded to any U.S. service member, who...
, United Nations Medal, National Defense Medal, four Good Conduct Medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
s, Air Force Longevity Service Award
Air Force Longevity Service Award
The Air Force Longevity Service Award is a military award of the United States Air Force which was first issued in 1957 by order of General Thomas D. White, Air Force Chief of Staff...
, Air Force Unit Award
Outstanding Unit Award
The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award is an award of the United States Air Force which was first created in 1954. The award is presented as a ribbon to any command of the U.S...
and Air Force Expeditionary Medal
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon
The Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon is a military award of the United States Air Force which was first created in June 2003. The ribbon is awarded to any member of the Air Force who completes a standard contingency deployment....
. He was a flight engineer with the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron at Tachikawa Air Force Base
Tachikawa Airfield
is an airfield in the city of Tachikawa, the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Currently under the administration of the Ministry of Defense, it has also served as the civil aviation with Japan's first scheduled air service.-Operations:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Hubbard was injured in a military plane crash and is registered with the VA
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
with a service-connected disability rating of 60 per cent.
Anti-war and civil rights activism
In the fall of 1969, Hubbard joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the WarVietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation, originally created to oppose the Vietnam War. VVAW describes itself as a national veterans' organization that campaigns for peace, justice, and the rights of all United States military veterans...
, and became an active organizer for the group.
During the publicity generated by the April, 1971 anti-war protest march on Washington DC, Hubbard made claims about his rank during interviews that he later admitted were false. He was introduced on Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
as a decorated Air Force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
captain who had spent two years in Vietnam. After receiving a tip that Hubbard was a sergeant and not a captain, NBC contacted Hubbard about the discrepancy. Hubbard admitted to lying about being an officer, and publicly acknowledged it when he appeared on the Today Show the following morning. Frank Jordan
Frank Jordan
Francis M. “Frank” Jordan is a U.S. politician, foundation executive and former Chief of Police.Jordan was born in San Francisco in 1935 and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1953...
, then Washington Bureau Chief of NBC News, recalls Hubbard's explanation for why he claimed to be an officer, "He was convinced no one would listen to a black man who was also an enlisted man."
William Overend in the National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
reported that a Defense Department news release stated: "Alfred H. Hubbard entered the Air Force in October 1952, re-enlisted twice and was honorably discharged in October 1966, when his enlistment expired. At the time of his discharge he was an instructor flight engineer on C-123 aircraft with the 7th Air Transport Squadron, McCord (sic) Air Force Base, Tacoma, Washington. There is no record of any service in Vietnam, but since he was an air crew member he could have been in Vietnam for brief periods during cargo loading, unloading operations or for crew rest purposes. His highest grade held was staff sergeant." Defense Department officials stressed it was still possible Hubbard could have served in Vietnam, flying in and out from Tacoma.
Historian and author of Home to War: A History of the Vietnam Veteran's Movement, Gerald Nicosia commented on the Hubbard military record controversy:
"... service people doing covert missions, such as rangers going across the border in Laos, into North Vietnam, etc., never had those actions put into their records. Al Hubbard was on similar covert missions, flying in a supply plane to the French when they were fighting the Viet MinhViet MinhViệt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
in the fifties. It doesn't surprise me that those flights were not in his record. He did lie about being an officer, when he was a career sergeant, because the press kept paying more attention to his co-leader John KerryJohn KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
, a decorated officer. Also, Hubbard never claimed to have been wounded in combat; his back was hurt when his plane crashed on a runway. When I interviewed him in 1992, he was on medical disability from the Air Force."