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GOODBYE BILL HAMMETT Posted Monday, December 12, 2011 by webmaster
Lt. Col. John W. Hammett Sr. was one of the first employees of the Georgia
Office of EMS and was a true pioneer in Georgia's EMS system.
Lt. Col. John W. Hammett Sr., known by his family and friends as Bill, born
in Shreveport, Louisiana passed away at age 89 on Wednesday, November 30,
2011. Bill will be remembered by all as a consummate southern gentleman. His
courage, natural mischievousness and legendary sense of adventure and daring
defined his demeanor and were readily captured in his childhood nickname
"Wild Bill". Bill Hammett lived large. Yet despite his larger than life
escapades, Bill was a kind and gentle man - generous with his affection and
quick to extend a hand. He walked through life with equal ease and
confidence, finding lifelong friends in every step. He was one of those rare
men so comfortable in his own skin that his very presence made everyone
around him comfortable too. Bill's love for his family was deep and
unquestionable, but it was his love for his wife, Betty, which truly defined
him. Their marriage was strong and steady, while openly joyful and tender.
There was simply nothing he wouldn't do for her. For Bill, Betty was always
the prettiest girl in the room. At just 17 years old with a signed
permission slip from his father in his pocket, Bill traveled to Montreal,
Canada to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force prior to the U.S. entrance
into World War II. Once he qualified to fly Lockheed Hudson Bombers,
Hurricanes and Spitfire fighters, Bill flew with the British Royal Air Force
in the Battle of Britain over France and was shot down and rescued in the
English Channel during the Battle of Dunkirk. From 1940 to 1942, he was
credited with shooting down 3 German planes. After Pearl Harbor in 1942,
Bill returned home to serve in the U.S.
Army Air Corps
flying light aircraft in combat over Africa and Italy. As an artillery
spotter, Bill would fly over enemy lines deliberately drawing fire in order
to identify and direct return artillery fire on enemy positions. After World
War II, Bill returned home to Shreveport attending Centenary College and
going on to complete two of the three years required at
Tulane Law School.
Even as a student, Bill continued his passion for flying working as both a
flight instructor and a crop duster. It was here he met, courted and married
Betty Colvin in 1947. Betty and Bill went on to travel the world together,
raised a family, laughed, loved and danced for 64 rich years. At the
outbreak of the
Korean War in 1950,
his education was interrupted when he was recalled to service attending
Instrument Flight School in Kansas; Helicopter School in Texas; and Advanced
Helicopter School in Oklahoma. Bill served 18 months in combat in Korea -
first with the 25th Infantry Division; then assigned to the MASH in Korea as
their Air Officer; and ultimately as Commanding Officer of Korea's first
Helicopter Ambulance Detachment which hauled over 6,000 critically wounded
soldiers during the fighting. As a solo pilot, Bill was a member of an elite
group of military aviators who brought rotary wing ambulances into a
battlefield environment. Known for their courage, commitment and innovation,
Bill was among a handful of pioneer aviators who flew solitary missions in
primitive helicopters lacking navigational aids and limited to external
litter carrying capabilities. Being a solo pilot meant flying at low
altitudes over mountainous terrain to land at unlighted, unmarked sites
within range of enemy fire. Flying at night was particularly dangerous. Bill
flew so many night flights, he was nicknamed Captain Midnight by the MASH
crew. It was these repeated aerial missions to evacuate wounded soldiers and
downed pilots that earned Bill multiple medals for heroic action in Korea.
More importantly, the tactical importance of air ambulances in battlefield
emergency medical care would go on to save thousands of American lives over
the next 50 years in places like Lebanon, Vietnam, Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq and
Afghanistan thanks to solo pilots - brave, resourceful Army aviators like
Bill Hammett. At the end of the Korean War, Bill trained medical helicopter
pilots at Fort Sam Houston; served as a test pilot at Fort Rucker, Alabama;
served three years in the Surgeon General's Office in Washington, D.C.;
attended Command General Staff College; and spent three years in Germany as
a Command and Staff Officer. Six months after returning from Europe, Bill
was sent to Vietnam in 1966. Flying medical helicopter missions and serving
as the Operations and Aviation Officer of the only medical brigade in the
country, Bill controlled 124 medical units in Vietnam consisting of over
9000 medical troops from Surgical and Evacuation Hospitals to Air and Ground
Ambulance units. During this time, he flew more than 25 combat missions in
direct support of tactical units under hostile fire. During his long
military career, Bill earned the Legion of Merit in Vietnam, Distinguished
Flying Cross in Korea,
Bronze Stars in both Korea and Italy, as well as numerous other air
medals, campaign ribbons, and decorations. Bill retired in 1973 after 30
years of military service and started another career as Chief of Field
Services for the State of Georgia's Emergency Medical System. Over the next
20 years - using his extensive military medical evacuation experience and
knowledge - Bill was recognized for being instrumental in organizing and
improving the Georgia Emergency Medical System that exists today. Betty and
Bill retired in Atlanta, Georgia in 1993, eventually moving to San Antonio,
Texas to be closer to their children. Bill is a graduate of Saint Mary's
University and a member of Trinity Baptist Church. In retirement, he found
much enjoyment in traveling, fishing, playing golf, and volunteering as a
mentor at a local school and for Habitat for Humanity. Bill is survived by
his wife, Betty Colvin Hammett; their children: John and wife, Arleen; Toby
Hammett Futrell and husband, Don; and Jeff; one grandchild: Travis Hammett;
sister-in-law: Joy Donaldson and husband, Armand; as well as many nieces and
nephews that were dear to him. Life will be less vivid without Bill. He will
be deeply missed ~ Well done, Captain Midnight.
GRAVESIDE SERVICE
WITH MILITARY HONORS
TUESDAY
DECEMBER 13, 2011
11:30 A.M.
FORT SAM HOUSTON
NATIONAL CEMETERY
1520 HARRY WURZBACH
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