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Hal William Howes was born on Jan
30, 1932 in Omaha, NE. Many of his early childhood years were spent in Tennessee
and Arkansas, where his father, Colonel Henry S. Howes, headed the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) Camps. He later attended schools in Germany and Poly
Prep Country Day School, Brooklyn, NY. Hal then spent one year at Virginia
Military Institute before receiving a Senatorial appointment to West Point and
entering with the Class of 1954 on Jul 5, 1950. Hal displayed continuing
leadership and military aptitude during his first three years and was promoted
to cadet captain and commander of Company H-1 in his First Class year. In
addition to his duties as a company commander, Hal was very active in other
activities. He found time to sing in the Cadet Chapel Choir, serve with the
Dialectic Society, and work on the Howitzer yearbook committee.
Upon graduation, Hal was commissioned in the Air
Force. After receiving his pilot wings he went on to obtain navigator and
bombardier ratings, thus becoming dual rated for his assignment to SAC as a B-47
pilot in the 321st Bomb Wing at Pinecastle AFB in Orlando, FL. He served four
years in SAC and then received a master of science degree in Industrial
Management from Purdue University in 1961. During his 22 year career, Hal had
air crew duty in the Strategic, Tactical, and Military Airlift Commands. He
served on the Air Staff and represented the Secretary of the Air Force in
interactions with the United States Congress. He was also a Research and
Development Special Projects officer for advanced strategic missile and
satellite programs. He qualified for the Missile Badge for both strategic
missiles and space systems. During his career he graduated from the Armed Forces
Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
His many decorations and service ribbons include:
Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service
Medal, two Air Medals, three Air Force Commendations, Air Force Presidential
Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Service medal
with one Bronze Star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, U.S.A. Vietnam Service
Medal with four Bronze Stars, four Air Force Longevity Service awards; Air Force
Small Arms Expert, and Vietnam Campaign Medal.
After retirement in 1976 as a colonel, his
post-military career consisted of eleven years as Corporate Vice President of
Government Relations for Fairchild Industries and ten years as corporate vice
president in Washington operations for Aerojet-General Corporation. In these
capacities Hal enacted savings and new market opportunities valued at over nine
billion dollars in Defense and NASA programs, including the preservation of the
very successful A-10 Warthog System which the Air Force had planned to
terminate.
Hal was a director of High Frontier, which was the
initial program of President Reagan’s Strategic Missile Defense Initiative. As a
founding director of the Space Transportation Association, he championed the
creation of an economical space transportation system for routine safe access to
space. He also served as Chairman of the Working Group on Technology and the
Industrial Base for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. This
group produced a futuristic projection entitled “Air and Space Power in the New
Millennium.” His leadership in this project was vital in establishing the new
strategic paradigm for the creation of a vertical base of operations located in
the third dimension
(air and space) to control future worldwide conflicts.
With his appointment as senior member of the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Hal was active with the
Aerospace Industries Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, and
all of the major military and space associations. As president of Howes &
Associates, Ltd., he provided management and government relations advice to the
aerospace and defense industries, including liaison with the United States
Congress.
For nine years Hal served on the board of directors of the Georgetown Club in
Washington, DC. He is listed in Who’s Who in Aviation and Aerospace and
in Who’s Who in Washington.
Hal left behind his beloved wife Cynthia, his son
Walter, and 56 years of a wonderful marriage. As commander of Company H-1, as an
Air Force officer, and as an aerospace executive, Hal fully lived a life of
Duty, Honor, Country.
—Cynthia F. Howes, Walter S. Howes
& a classmate |
