James F. Hackler
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General James Franklin Hackler Jr. was born on 8 September 1920, in Marion, Virginia.
He graduated from New Hanover High School, Wilmington, North Carolina
, in 1937; attended Riverside Military Academy, Gainesville, Georgia
, during 1937-1938, and the University of North Carolina
, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
, during 1938-1939. He graduated from the United States Military Academy
in 1943, with the first class in which some members received both a commission and pilot wings.
His first assignment was to Spence Field
, Ga., for additional fighter-pursuit training. He then was assigned to the 358th Fighter Group
and in 1943 went with it to the European Theater of Operations
, where he served as pilot, squadron commander and then group operations officer in England
, France
and Germany
. In 1945 he became an operations staff officer for the XII Tactical Air Command in Germany, He remained in Europe after World War II as a P-51 Mustang
squadron commander with the 357th Fighter Group
stationed at Neubiberg
, Germany.
In 1947, he was assigned to the Pentagon for duty with the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. In 1950, he went to Headquarters, Ninth Air Force
, at Pope Air Force Base
, N.C., where he served as chief of the Fighter Training Division and then as executive to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations. The following year, he went to the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico
, as commander of an F-86 Sabre
squadron.
General Hackler returned to Europe in 1953, where he served in West Germany as commander of the 50th Tactical Fighter Group, and then director of operations and training, Headquarters, Twelfth Air Force. He next attended the NATO Defense College in Paris, France.
In September 1956, he returned to the United States and went to Myrtle Beach Air Force Base
, South Carolina
, where as commander of the 354th Fighter-Day Group he delivered the first F-100 Super Sabre
to the group in October 1956. A year later, he became director of operations for the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, and in this position was instrumental in the development of a worldwide deployment capability as part of Tactical Air Command's Composite Air Strike Force.
General Hackler returned to Washington, D.C., and in 1960 graduated from the National War College
, and was assigned to the Directorate of Operational Requirements in Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. From January 1962 to April 1964, he served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, working on research and development of tactical warfare programs.
After completion of F-105D Thunderchief pilot training at Nellis Air Force Base
, Nevada
, General Hackler returned to West Germany in August 1964 and assumed command of the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg Air Base
. The wing converted to F-4D Phantom II aircraft during his command. Two years later, he was appointed assistant deputy chief of staff, operations, for U.S. Air Forces in Europe with headquarters at Wiesbaden Air Base.
In June 1967, General Hackler became deputy director of information, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. His duties included internal information, public information, community relations and related activities.
General Hackler retired from the United States Air Force on 1 April 1969. He died living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on 22 November 2007.
He graduated from New Hanover High School, Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, in 1937; attended Riverside Military Academy, Gainesville, Georgia
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
, during 1937-1938, and the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, during 1938-1939. He graduated from the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1943, with the first class in which some members received both a commission and pilot wings.
His first assignment was to Spence Field
Spence Field
Spence Field is a highland meadow in the Great Smoky Mountains, located inthe Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of 4,920 feet above sea level...
, Ga., for additional fighter-pursuit training. He then was assigned to the 358th Fighter Group
358th Fighter Group
The 358th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Second Air Force stationed at La Junta Army Air Field , Colorado. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
and in 1943 went with it to the European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
, where he served as pilot, squadron commander and then group operations officer in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In 1945 he became an operations staff officer for the XII Tactical Air Command in Germany, He remained in Europe after World War II as a P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
squadron commander with the 357th Fighter Group
357th Fighter Group
The 357th Fighter Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The 357th operated P-51 Mustang aircraft as part of the U.S. Eighth Air Force and its members were known unofficially as "The Yoxford Boys" after a village near their base...
stationed at Neubiberg
Neubiberg
Neubiberg is a municipality south-east of Munich, Germany, founded in 1912. It used to have an airport that was used as a Luftwaffe-base in the Third Reich and after the war as an U.S. airbase and in the following years as the German Air Force officer school. Today the largest part of the area is...
, Germany.
In 1947, he was assigned to the Pentagon for duty with the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. In 1950, he went to Headquarters, Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, at Pope Air Force Base
Pope Air Force Base
Pope Field is a United States Army facility located 12 miles northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.-Units:...
, N.C., where he served as chief of the Fighter Training Division and then as executive to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations. The following year, he went to the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, as commander of an F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
squadron.
General Hackler returned to Europe in 1953, where he served in West Germany as commander of the 50th Tactical Fighter Group, and then director of operations and training, Headquarters, Twelfth Air Force. He next attended the NATO Defense College in Paris, France.
In September 1956, he returned to the United States and went to Myrtle Beach Air Force Base
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force facility, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was established in 1940 as a World War II training base and was also used for coastal patrols during the war...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, where as commander of the 354th Fighter-Day Group he delivered the first F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
to the group in October 1956. A year later, he became director of operations for the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, and in this position was instrumental in the development of a worldwide deployment capability as part of Tactical Air Command's Composite Air Strike Force.
General Hackler returned to Washington, D.C., and in 1960 graduated from the National War College
National War College
The National War College of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. It was officially established on July 1, 1946, as an upgraded replacement for the...
, and was assigned to the Directorate of Operational Requirements in Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. From January 1962 to April 1964, he served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, working on research and development of tactical warfare programs.
After completion of F-105D Thunderchief pilot training at Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, General Hackler returned to West Germany in August 1964 and assumed command of the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg Air Base
Bitburg Air Base
Bitburg Airport is a commercial airport serving Bitburg, a city in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. It is located 2 miles southeast of Bitburg, 20 miles north of Trier, and 135 miles west of Wiesbaden....
. The wing converted to F-4D Phantom II aircraft during his command. Two years later, he was appointed assistant deputy chief of staff, operations, for U.S. Air Forces in Europe with headquarters at Wiesbaden Air Base.
In June 1967, General Hackler became deputy director of information, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. His duties included internal information, public information, community relations and related activities.
General Hackler retired from the United States Air Force on 1 April 1969. He died living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on 22 November 2007.