The late Major Van J. Hammack, Jr. graduated from Philip Barbour High School with the Class of 1973. He was inducted into the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society and was selected to represent PBHS at West Virginia Boys State. Van was also a three-year member of the Colts’ football squad, where he served as team captain, and was also a three-year letterman in track and field.
His accomplishments at PB led to an Air Force ROTC scholarship at WVU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. Van later received his Master of Science degree in Counseling from Troy State University. From there, he embarked upon a career with the USAF.
Rigorous training led his becoming a C-130 navigator where his responsibilities included ensuring that cargo, equipment and personnel were delivered safely and on time by land or airdrop. At Abilene, TX, he progressed from Basic Navigator to Formation Lead Navigator and then Instructor Navigator, culminating in his promotion to First Lieutenant.
Mr. Hammack next trained navigators at Little Rock, AR in low altitude formation flying, airdrop and combat tactics and was promoted to captain. Van’s third assignment took him to Montgomery, AL, as a platform instructor at Squadron Officer School. As he served as a flight commander and Operations Officer, he gained the rank of Captain.
His next stop was at Tokyo, Japan, where he was selected as Chief Navigator for his squadron, responsible for training and evaluating all fellow navigators as they flew missions throughout the Pacific. Van then was deployed to Operations Desert Shield/Storm, flying 43 combat missions and 267 hours, leading the largest airdrop formation into Iraq during Desert Storm. He earned the Air Medal for heroic or meritorious achievement in aerial flight.
Van Hammack’s final assignment was in Honolulu, HI, as Senior Operations Duty Controller where he was responsible for operations across the Western Pacific. He logged 3475 total flying hours and successfully circumnavigated the entire world in the days before GPS. He earned the Meritorious Service Medal twice and his units received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor three times.
Following retirement from the USAF, he became a football coach at Radford HS in Hawaii and then went on to serve as assistant football coach and recruiter at Trinity University in Texas. He interned with the Dallas Cowboys under Coach Bill Parcels for a year and worked for the New Orleans Saints on game days following their relocation to San Antonio following Hurricane Katrina.
A well-known volunteer, Van hosted Division III Men’s Final Four soccer, DII Final Four Women’s basketball and the WVU Women’s soccer team during the Big 12 Conference championships. He also worked extensively with professional golf events in Texas.
Major Hammack had recently completed a two-year term as President of the 774th Tactical Airlift Squadron Alumni Association, and is a longtime volunteer and board member for the Wounded Warriors organization, which helps injured service members with housing and financial needs and their transitions back to civilian life. Although he passed away at his home in San Antonio on April 14, 2021 at the age of 66, Major Van Hammack Jr.’s legacy of service and leadership endures.
His accomplishments at PB led to an Air Force ROTC scholarship at WVU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. Van later received his Master of Science degree in Counseling from Troy State University. From there, he embarked upon a career with the USAF.
Rigorous training led his becoming a C-130 navigator where his responsibilities included ensuring that cargo, equipment and personnel were delivered safely and on time by land or airdrop. At Abilene, TX, he progressed from Basic Navigator to Formation Lead Navigator and then Instructor Navigator, culminating in his promotion to First Lieutenant.
Mr. Hammack next trained navigators at Little Rock, AR in low altitude formation flying, airdrop and combat tactics and was promoted to captain. Van’s third assignment took him to Montgomery, AL, as a platform instructor at Squadron Officer School. As he served as a flight commander and Operations Officer, he gained the rank of Captain.
His next stop was at Tokyo, Japan, where he was selected as Chief Navigator for his squadron, responsible for training and evaluating all fellow navigators as they flew missions throughout the Pacific. Van then was deployed to Operations Desert Shield/Storm, flying 43 combat missions and 267 hours, leading the largest airdrop formation into Iraq during Desert Storm. He earned the Air Medal for heroic or meritorious achievement in aerial flight.
Van Hammack’s final assignment was in Honolulu, HI, as Senior Operations Duty Controller where he was responsible for operations across the Western Pacific. He logged 3475 total flying hours and successfully circumnavigated the entire world in the days before GPS. He earned the Meritorious Service Medal twice and his units received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor three times.
Following retirement from the USAF, he became a football coach at Radford HS in Hawaii and then went on to serve as assistant football coach and recruiter at Trinity University in Texas. He interned with the Dallas Cowboys under Coach Bill Parcels for a year and worked for the New Orleans Saints on game days following their relocation to San Antonio following Hurricane Katrina.
A well-known volunteer, Van hosted Division III Men’s Final Four soccer, DII Final Four Women’s basketball and the WVU Women’s soccer team during the Big 12 Conference championships. He also worked extensively with professional golf events in Texas.
Major Hammack had recently completed a two-year term as President of the 774th Tactical Airlift Squadron Alumni Association, and is a longtime volunteer and board member for the Wounded Warriors organization, which helps injured service members with housing and financial needs and their transitions back to civilian life. Although he passed away at his home in San Antonio on April 14, 2021 at the age of 66, Major Van Hammack Jr.’s legacy of service and leadership endures.