Thomas Francis Hickey (general)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Francis Hickey was a United States Army
Lieutenant General
.
on April 1, 1898. In 1916 he enlisted as a Private and served until 1917. He then attended officer training in Plattsburgh
, afterwards receiving a commission as a Second Lieutenant of Cavalry
.
during World War I
as a platoon leader in the 341st and 7th Machine Gun Battalions. He participated in the St. Mihiel
and Meuse-Argonne Offensives, was wounded, and received the Purple Heart
.
, remaining in Germany
as a member of the Army of Occupation until February 1922. Later that year he transferred to Field Artillery. In 1926 he graduated from the Field Artillery Officer Course.
In 1932 he was assigned to train and advise National Guard units in the I Corps area.
In 1938 he graduated from the Command and General Staff College
.
From 1940 to 1942 Hickey was an instructor at the Command and General Staff College
.
From 1942 to 1943 Hickey served as Chief of Staff of the XI Corps, overseeing planning and execution of its operations in the Pacific Theater
.
After briefly serving as commander of the 42nd Division Artillery during its stateside training in Oklahoma
, Hickey was promoted to Brigadier General
and assigned as commander of the X Corps Artillery, serving in the South West Pacific Theater. During the Leyte Campaign Hickey served as commander of the 31st Division Artillery.
From 1950 to 1952 Hickey was commander of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Hickey commanded the XVIII Airborne Corps from 1952 to 1953.
and subsequent withdrawal from combat at the end of the conflict.
.
General Hickey again commanded the IX Corps from 1954 to 1955.
In 1955 General Hickey was named commander of Third U.S. Army at Fort McPherson
, where he remained until his 1958 retirement.
, including two for World War II
, two Silver Star
s, the Legion of Merit
, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart
, and the Air Medal
.
,
Net Evaluation Subcommittee. The Net Evaluation Subcommittee was established by President Dwight Eisenhower, and was charged assessing the U.S.S.R's
capacity to inflict damage on the United States
and U.S. overseas installations, as well as monitoring for changes that would alter those capabilities.
.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
.
Early Life and start of military career
Hickey was born in South Boston, MassachusettsSouth Boston, Massachusetts
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. One of America's oldest and most historic neighborhoods, South Boston was formerly known as Dorchester Neck, and today is called "Southie" by...
on April 1, 1898. In 1916 he enlisted as a Private and served until 1917. He then attended officer training in Plattsburgh
Citizens Military Training Camp
Citizens' Military Training Camps were military training programs of the United States. Held annually each summer during the years 1921 to 1940, the CMTC camps differed from National Guard and Reserves training in that the program allowed male citizens to obtain basic military training without an...
, afterwards receiving a commission as a Second Lieutenant of Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
.
World War I
Hickey served in FranceFrance
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...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a platoon leader in the 341st and 7th Machine Gun Battalions. He participated in the St. Mihiel
Battle of Saint-Mihiel
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a World War I battle fought between September 12–15, 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Force and 48,000 French troops under the command of U.S. general John J. Pershing against German positions...
and Meuse-Argonne Offensives, was wounded, and received the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
.
Post-World War I
Hickey continued his military career after World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, remaining in 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...
as a member of the Army of Occupation until February 1922. Later that year he transferred to Field Artillery. In 1926 he graduated from the Field Artillery Officer Course.
In 1932 he was assigned to train and advise National Guard units in the I Corps area.
In 1938 he graduated from the Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
.
From 1940 to 1942 Hickey was an instructor at the Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
.
World War II
In 1942 Hickey was assigned as Assistant Chief of Staff of the U.S. II Corps.From 1942 to 1943 Hickey served as Chief of Staff of the XI Corps, overseeing planning and execution of its operations in the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
.
After briefly serving as commander of the 42nd Division Artillery during its stateside training in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Hickey was promoted to Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
and assigned as commander of the X Corps Artillery, serving in the South West Pacific Theater. During the Leyte Campaign Hickey served as commander of the 31st Division Artillery.
Post-World War II
Hickey was assigned as Chief of Staff for U.S. Forces Austria (USFA) in 1946.From 1950 to 1952 Hickey was commander of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Hickey commanded the XVIII Airborne Corps from 1952 to 1953.
Korean War
From 1953 to 1954 General Hickey commanded the IX Corps, leading the organization during the end of its occupation of the Line Missouri Main Line of ResistanceMain Line of Resistance
Main Line of Resistance, or MLR is a military term describing the most important defensive position of an army facing an opposing force over an extended front...
and subsequent withdrawal from combat at the end of the conflict.
Post-Korean War
In 1954 Hickey was appointed Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces Far East and promoted to Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
.
General Hickey again commanded the IX Corps from 1954 to 1955.
In 1955 General Hickey was named commander of Third U.S. Army at Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command; the U.S...
, where he remained until his 1958 retirement.
Awards and decorations
General Hickey's decorations included several awards of the Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Service Medal (Army)
The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...
, including two for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, two Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
s, the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
, and the Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
.
Other
In 1958 General Hickey received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
,
Other work
From 1958 to 1961 General Hickey was Staff Director for the National Security Council'sUnited States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
Net Evaluation Subcommittee. The Net Evaluation Subcommittee was established by President Dwight Eisenhower, and was charged assessing the U.S.S.R's
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
capacity to inflict damage on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and U.S. overseas installations, as well as monitoring for changes that would alter those capabilities.
Retirement and death
General Hickey died in November, 1983 in Arlington, Virginia. He was buried in Section S, Site 83, of Arlington National CemeteryArlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.