Hanes, Horace A.

Major General Horace A. Hanes is vice commander, Aerospace Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, CO

General Hanes was born in Fayette, Ill., in 1916. After graduating from Normal Community High School in 1933, he attended Illinois State Normal University where he received his bachelor of arts degree in education in 1937. He entered the U.S. Army Air Corps in October 1938, completed flying school at Kelly Field, Texas, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve in August 1939.

In October 1939 he was assigned to the 18th Pursuit Group in Hawaii, and received his commission as second lieutenant in the Regular Army Air Corps in July 1940. He returned to the United States in October 1941, and served with the Air Training Command for five months before being assigned as commander, 312th Fighter Squadron, 338th Fighter Group, flying P-47 aircraft.

In August 1943 General Hanes was transferred to the European Theater of Operations and was assigned to the 1st Fighter Group where he served as commander, 71st Fighter Squadron, then as group operations officer, and lastly as deputy group commander. He completed 30 combat missions in P-38 aircraft before he was reported missing in action over Yugoslavia in January 1944 and spent three months evading capture.

He returned to the United States in April 1944 and was assigned as commanding officer of the Fighter Station at Punta Gorda, Fla. In January 1946 he returned to Europe where he commanded the 31st Fighter Group, the first American group in Germany to be equipped with F-80 Shooting Star aircraft. He remained in Germany until November 1947, when he returned to the United States and was assigned as commander of the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, March Air Force Base, Calif.

General Hanes entered the Armed Forces Staff College in January 1949. He was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, in July 1949, where he served in the Directorate of Research and Development as Chief of the Air Defense Division. He next attended the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., from July 1952 to June 1953. He became director of flight test at the Air Force Flight Test Center Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in July 1953, and served in that capacity for four years.

General Hanes commanded the 58th Fighter Bomber Wing in Korea from July 1957 to May 1958 and received the Legion of Merit for his exceptionally meritorious service. For the next three years he was deputy chief of staff, operations, for Fifth Air Force in Japan. He returned to the United States in July 1961 and was assigned as assistant chief of staff, plans, Headquarters Air Defense Command, at Ent Air Force Base, Colo. He was reassigned as commander of the 9th Aerospace Defense Division in July 1964.

In June 1966 General Hanes was assigned to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Paris as assistant chief of staff, operations. He became vice commander of Aerospace Defense Command at Ent Air Force Base, Colo., in August 1969.

A command pilot, General Hanes has more than 6,000 flying hours and participated in early development evaluations of many of this nation’s aircraft. In addition he has flown the Bell X-IB and several British and French jets.

On Aug. 20, 1955, General Hanes set the world’s first official supersonic speed record over the Mojave Desert when he flew an F-100C Super Sabre at an average speed of 822.135 mph. He was awarded the Thompson Trophy for his record runs made at an altitude of 40,000 feet. In 1956 he received the Mackay Trophy.

His military decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, and Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon. (Source: af.mil)