Thomas Francis Hickey (United States Army officer)

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Thomas Francis Hickey
Hickey as a brigadier general during World War II
Born(1898-04-01)April 1, 1898
Boston, Massachusetts
DiedNovember 1, 1983(1983-11-01) (aged 85)
Arlington, Virginia
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1916–1958
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldThird United States Army
IX Corps
XVIII Airborne Corps
82nd Airborne Division
31st Division Artillery
X Corps Artillery
42nd Division Artillery
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
Korean War
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal (2)
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Other workStaff Director, Net Evaluation Subcommittee, National Security Council

Thomas Francis Hickey (April 1, 1898 – November 1, 1983) was a career officer in the United States Army. He served from 1916 to 1958 and attained the rank of lieutenant general.

Early life[edit]

Hickey was born in South Boston, Massachusetts, on April 1, 1898,[1] a son of Lawrence Hickey and Johanna T. (McGrath) Hickey.[2] He graduated from South Boston High School in 1916.[3] Hickey was a prominent high school athlete, and was a member of South Boston's football, basketball, and track teams.[4] South Boston High School also participated in the Boston School Cadets program, which provided military training to the city's male high school students.[5] Hickey served in 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment and attained the rank of captain.[6]

Hickey's desire for a military career was well-known among friends and family, and Hickey enlisted as a private soon after his high school graduation.[4] He was promoted to corporal in 1917 and served in the enlisted ranks until being chosen for officer training.[1] In the summer and fall of 1917, Hickey attended officer training at the Citizens Military Training Camp at Plattsburgh Barracks, claiming an 1897 date of birth and 1915 high school graduation in order to meet the minimum age requirement.[7][8] In November 1917, Hickey received a Reserve commission as a second lieutenant of Cavalry.[9][10]

Military career[edit]

Hickey served in France 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.[11][12]

Hickey continued his military career after the war, remaining in Germany as a member of the Army of Occupation until February 1922.[13] Later that year, he transferred to the Field Artillery.[14] In 1926, he graduated from the Field Artillery Officer Course.[15] In 1932, he was assigned to train and advise National Guard units in the I Corps area.[16][17] He graduated from the Command and General Staff College in 1938 and,[18] from 1940 to 1942, was an instructor at the Command and General Staff College.[18]

In 1942, Hickey was assigned as Assistant Chief of Staff of the II Corps.[15] 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 of World War II.[19] 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.[18]

Following the end of the war, Hickey was assigned as chief of staff for United States Forces Austria (USFA) in 1946.[20] Hickey was commander of the 82nd Airborne Division from 1950 to 1952,[21] then commanded the XVIII Airborne Corps from 1952 to 1953.[22]

Hickey commanded the IX Corps from 1953 to 1954, leading the organization during the end of its occupation of the Line Missouri Main Line of Resistance and subsequent withdrawal from combat at the end of the Korean War.[23][24][25] In 1954, Hickey was appointed deputy commander of United States Army Forces in the Far East and promoted to lieutenant general.[26] [27] Hickey again commanded IX Corps from 1954 to 1955,[24] before he was named commander of Third United States Army at Fort McPherson, where he remained until his retirement in 1958.[28][29]

Awards and decorations[edit]

Hickey's decorations included the Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal.[30][31][32][13]

Hickey also received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Fordham University in 1958.[33]

Post-military[edit]

Following his retirement from the army, Hickey was Staff Director for the National Security Council's Net Evaluation Subcommittee from 1958 to 1961.[34][35][36] The Net Evaluation Subcommittee was established by President Dwight Eisenhower, and was charged assessing the Soviet Union's capacity to inflict damage on the United States and its overseas installations, as well as monitoring for changes that would alter those capabilities.[37]

Hickey died on November 1, 1983, in Arlington, Virginia.[38] He was buried in Section 5, Site 83, of Arlington National Cemetery.[39]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Kelly, William P., ed. (May 1953). "Private to General: Thomas Francis Hickey". Life of the Soldier and the Airman. New York, NY: Recruiting Publicity Center, U.S. Army. p. 5 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840–1915, Entry for Thomas F. Hickey". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. April 1, 1898. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "Awards 109 Diplomas: South Boston High School has the Largest Graduating Class in its History". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. June 23, 1916. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Watters, Ann (April 25, 1958). "3rd Army CG Retires". The Sentinel. Ft. McPherson, GA. pp. 1–3. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "School Cadets March Today". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. May 29, 1914. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Unit Photo, 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment, Boston School Cadets". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. 1916. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "South Boston Youth of 20 Gets Commission". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. November 26, 1917. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Evening Globe News: South Boston District". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. November 28, 1917. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Full List of the New Officers Appointed at Plattsburgh, New York Times, November 25, 1917
  10. ^ The Plattsburger, Yearbook of the Plattsburgh Officer Training Camp, 1917, p. 101
  11. ^ Waltzing Into the Cold War: the Struggle for Occupied Austria, by James Jay Carafano, 2002, p. 95
  12. ^ Third U.S. Army Web Site, Commander's Biographies, Thomas F. Hickey page
  13. ^ a b Third U.S. Army Web Site, Commander's Biographies, Thomas F. Hickey page
  14. ^ Official Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1922, p. 1048
  15. ^ a b Life of the Soldier and the Airman, 1949, Volumes 35–36, p. 5
  16. ^ Field Artillery Journal, January–February, 1932, p. 8
  17. ^ Field Artillery Journal, January–February, 1933, p. 8
  18. ^ a b c Life of the Soldier and the Airman, 1949
  19. ^ The amphibious Eighth, prepared and edited by the Eighth U.S. Army, 1946, p. 73
  20. ^ Waltzing Into the Cold War
  21. ^ 82nd Airborne Division Pamphlet 600-2, January 2005, p. 90 Archived 2008-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ Ft. Bragg web site, XVIII Corps and Ft. Bragg Commanders page
  23. ^ United States Army Japan web site, IX Corps Commanders page Archived 2010-08-24 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ a b The National Guardsman, 1955, Volume 9, page 12
  25. ^ Korean War.com web site, Overview page
  26. ^ "Gen. Hickey Appointed Deputy Far East Chief". Chicago Tribune. January 13, 1954.
  27. ^ "Rhee Decorates Gen. Hickey". Hartford Courant. March 31, 1954.
  28. ^ U.S. Government Manual, 1956, p. 139
  29. ^ The National Guardsman, 1958, Volume 12, p. 29
  30. ^ "Military Times, Hall of Valor, Recipients of the Army Distinguished Service Medal". Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
  31. ^ Official U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1956
  32. ^ The American Catholic Who's Who, by Georgina Pell Curtis, 1960–1961, Volume 14, page 205
  33. ^ "Gen. Hickey to be Cited; Fordham Will Give Ex-Head of 3d Army a Degree". The New York Times. May 6, 1958.
  34. ^ The National Security: Its Theory and Practice, 1945–1960, by Norman A. Graebner, 1986, p. 192
  35. ^ The Cold War: National Security Policy Planning from Truman to Reagan and From Stalin to Gorbachev, Lori Lyn Bogle, 2001, p. 96
  36. ^ History of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, published by U.S. Department of Defense Historical Office, 1984, Volume 5, p. 316
  37. ^ Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, National Security Council Directive 5511, Directive on a Net Evaluation Subcommittee, February 14, 1955
  38. ^ Social Security Administration (SSA) Death Master File (DMF)
  39. ^ "U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Nationwide Gravesite Locator". Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
Military offices
Preceded by Commanding General 82nd Airborne Division
1950–1952 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
??
 Commanding General XVIII Airborne Corps
1952–1953 		Succeeded by
??
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