Harris Hull
Encyclopedia
Harris B. Hull was a brigadier general
in the United States Air Force
, and part of the original staff of the Eighth Air Force
during the Second World War.
. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton School of Business of Economics with a bachelor of science
degree in 1930.
He received a commission as a 2d lieutenant through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps
program and, from August 1934 to January 1942, performed Army Reserve
duty in New Jersey
, New York
and Washington, D.C.
with the United States Army Air Corps
. In April 1938, Hull was called to active duty with the 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field, Virginia
, to help publicize the capabilities of the new B-17 Flying Fortress. He conceived the interception of the Italian ocean liner Rex
over 600 miles at sea as part of a training exercise, and on May 12, 1938, flew on the lead bomber in what turned into a hazardous but highly successful mission.
Just prior to returning to active duty with the Army Air Corps Hull served in the Sperry Company as Assistant to the Vice-President.
Working as a journalist, Hull was called back into service in January 1942 to accompany Brig. Gen. Ira C. Eaker to England as his A-2, and served in both the Eighth Air Force and the Mediterranean theater as a combat intelligence officer
during World War II. Hull was promoted through the ranks to colonel
, and served most of his military career in that grade. In June 1944 he was transferred to the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces in Italy. In June 1944 he was a member of the initial mission of the Fifteenth Air Force to Russia.
In July 1945, he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Army Air Forces in Washington, D.C., as chief of the Analyses Division. From November 1945 to November 1946, he was a special project officer in the Intelligence Directorate's Executive and Field Divisions. Hull served as the executive officer
for the director of information at Army Air Forces headquarters from November 1946 to June 1947. When the Air Force became a separate service in 1947, he served in a similar position on the Air Force Information staff.
Transferring to the Office of the Air Force Inspector General
, Hull served as the executive officer, from January 1948 to April 1950. After brief service as an Air Inspector for the 3894th School Squadron, with duty at the 1009th Special Weapons Squadron in Washington, D.C., Hull was named chief of the Current Intelligence Branch, Intelligence Directorate, at Air Force headquarters. Following graduation from the Air War College
in June 1952, he joined Headquarters Command's 1007th Air Intelligence Service Group as an intelligence staff officer.
Hull became deputy for intelligence, Directorate of Intelligence, Headquarters Far East Air Forces, Fuchu Air Station, Japan
, in June 1956. In July 1957, when the command became Pacific Air Forces and was relocated to Hickam Air Force Base
, Hawaii
, Hull was assigned as assistant chief of staff for intelligence.
Hull then was named deputy chief of staff for intelligence at North American Air Defense Command headquarters at Ent Air Force Base
, Colorado
and promoted to brigadier general May 4, 1960. He returned to Washington, D.C., in August 1963 as special assistant to the assistant administrator for technical policy, utilization and plans, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and retired August 1, 1964.
He had written numerous articles on military matters, most of them having been published in the Washington Post.
His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit
with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star
, Air Medal
, American Campaign Medal
, European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal
and National Defense Service Medal
.
Harris Hull died January 29, 1993.
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...
in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, and part of the original staff of the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
during the Second World War.
Biography
Hull was born in 1909, in Williamsburg, IowaWilliamsburg, Iowa
Williamsburg is a city in Iowa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,622 at the 2000 census. Williamsburg is known for Holden's Foundation Seeds...
. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
Wharton School of Business of Economics with a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in 1930.
He received a commission as a 2d lieutenant through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
program and, from August 1934 to January 1942, performed Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
duty in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
with the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
. In April 1938, Hull was called to active duty with the 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, to help publicize the capabilities of the new B-17 Flying Fortress. He conceived the interception of the Italian ocean liner Rex
Interception of the Rex
The interception of the Rex was a training exercise and military aviation achievement of the United States Army Air Corps prior to World War II. The tracking and location of an ocean going vessel by B-17 Flying Fortresses in May 1938 was a major event in the development of a doctrine that led to a...
over 600 miles at sea as part of a training exercise, and on May 12, 1938, flew on the lead bomber in what turned into a hazardous but highly successful mission.
Just prior to returning to active duty with the Army Air Corps Hull served in the Sperry Company as Assistant to the Vice-President.
Working as a journalist, Hull was called back into service in January 1942 to accompany Brig. Gen. Ira C. Eaker to England as his A-2, and served in both the Eighth Air Force and the Mediterranean theater as a combat intelligence officer
Intelligence officer
An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
during World War II. Hull was promoted through the ranks to colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, and served most of his military career in that grade. In June 1944 he was transferred to the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces in Italy. In June 1944 he was a member of the initial mission of the Fifteenth Air Force to Russia.
In July 1945, he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Army Air Forces in Washington, D.C., as chief of the Analyses Division. From November 1945 to November 1946, he was a special project officer in the Intelligence Directorate's Executive and Field Divisions. Hull served as the executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
for the director of information at Army Air Forces headquarters from November 1946 to June 1947. When the Air Force became a separate service in 1947, he served in a similar position on the Air Force Information staff.
Transferring to the Office of the Air Force Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
, Hull served as the executive officer, from January 1948 to April 1950. After brief service as an Air Inspector for the 3894th School Squadron, with duty at the 1009th Special Weapons Squadron in Washington, D.C., Hull was named chief of the Current Intelligence Branch, Intelligence Directorate, at Air Force headquarters. Following graduation from the Air War College
Air War College
The Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
in June 1952, he joined Headquarters Command's 1007th Air Intelligence Service Group as an intelligence staff officer.
Hull became deputy for intelligence, Directorate of Intelligence, Headquarters Far East Air Forces, Fuchu Air Station, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, in June 1956. In July 1957, when the command became Pacific Air Forces and was relocated to Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Hull was assigned as assistant chief of staff for intelligence.
Hull then was named deputy chief of staff for intelligence at North American Air Defense Command headquarters at Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force facility opened in 1951 on the site of a closed sanatorium in conjunction with the move of the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command, later Aerospace Defense Command , to Colorado Springs, Colorado...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and promoted to brigadier general May 4, 1960. He returned to Washington, D.C., in August 1963 as special assistant to the assistant administrator for technical policy, utilization and plans, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and retired August 1, 1964.
He had written numerous articles on military matters, most of them having been published in the Washington Post.
His military decorations and awards include 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...
with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of 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:...
, American Campaign Medal
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
, European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal
World War II Victory Medal
The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II and is awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of...
and National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
.
Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe 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...
with oak leaf cluster
Bronze StarBronze Star MedalThe Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
Air MedalAir MedalThe 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:...
American Campaign MedalAmerican Campaign MedalThe American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign MedalEuropean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign MedalThe European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal is a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
World War II Victory MedalWorld War II Victory MedalThe World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II and is awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of...
National Defense Service MedalNational Defense Service MedalThe National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
Harris Hull died January 29, 1993.