Hickey ’82: A Single-Minded Sense of Purpose

U.S. Army Col. Jim Hickey ’82 was searching for the most wanted man in the world, Saddam Hussein, the president and dictator of Iraq. The U.S. had invaded earlier that year, but now it was Dec. 13, 2003, and Hickey was commanding 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized). The brigade’s mission was to stabilize the area and return it to civil governance. Early after assuming command, Hickey estimated that Hussein was somewhere near his hometown in Tikrit.

Hickey knew there were five families who protected Hussein, and his unit, in coordination with Special Operations Forces, was taking apart these various cells. By late November, there remained only two key members who might know where Hussein was. One would flee the country, but the other would be captured in Baghdad by Special Operations. Within hours and in close collaboration with Special Operations leadership, Hickey had the clues needed to get Hussein. Hickey’s brigade had a great relationship with Special Operations. Both, for months, supported each other’s operations, shared intelligence, and made rapid responses to opportunities routine. According to Hickey, together, they worked as a team.

As Hickey related the story, “We hit our two objectives in total darkness 1 hour before the moon appeared. They departed the assault position at 1930 with the brigade reconnaissance troop, brigade headquarters, Special Operations, and an armored cavalry troop.” One of Hickey’s scout platoons was in the lead. Hickey’s Bradley fighting vehicle moved with the mobile command element. Apache helicopters were on call. “We moved in blackout drive, no lights, no illumination, and traveling at 50 mph,” he said.

Artillery had the area covered. They hit the first objective at 2000 hours and found nothing, then the second objective, and again, nothing. Regardless, the assault elements continued to develop the situation. Then, three armed Iraqis broke cover and were immediately captured by brigade scouts. They had fled a small hut. Hickey had heard Hussein drove either a taxi or a small motorcycle. These were later found in the area.

They swept the area again and the hut. In the hut was a carpet, which was removed, exposing a white styrofoam block with handles. Soldiers pulled on these, and a disheveled bearded man appeared with his hands up. Hickey was 100-150 meters away, directing the operation. They checked to make sure they had Hussein, which was confirmed, and Hussein was immediately put on a helicopter and taken away to a pre-planned location. A couple of weapons and $750,000 in U.S. dollars were found. The world’s No. 1 terrorist was in custody. Hickey prepared his soldiers for a possible counterattack, which never came. Then he made the call to U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno, his division commander. “We got No. 1.”

Hickey always wanted to be a soldier. His parents were immigrants from the southwest corner of Ireland, and his grandfather fought in the Easter Uprising in 1916. Hickey’s father immigrated to America in the late 1940s. He was drafted during the Korean War and served in Germany with an armored artillery battalion. His father loved the Army and passed this love to Hickey.

The family settled near Chicago and eventually grew to four boys and two girls. Hickey’s dad started as a plumber and later became a building contractor. He supported Hickey’s choice to join the Army, but only after Hickey completed college. Hickey’s uncle suggested VMI. After attending a VMI recruiting weekend and seeing mountains for the first time, Hickey was set on the Institute. Beforehand, Hickey attended an ROTC summer basic training program at Fort Knox, which got him in better shape for VMI. “Jim Hickey knew what he wanted when he came to VMI, and he never lost sight of that goal,” said his roommate, Joe Yodzis ’82. Hickey wanted a commission as an Army officer.

While at VMI, Hickey spent a semester in France. Each summer, he attended an Army school, earning an Air Assault Badge, airborne wings, and a Ranger tab. Few, if any, have matched that tally. He returned his 1st Class year with sores on his body, and he was physically exhausted following the summer of Ranger school. Hickey took over as a cadet captain and Regimental S3. Col. Tyson “Ty Ty” Wilson, Ph.D., and Lt. Col. Jeffrey A. Gunsburg, Ph.D., were among his favorite professors; both were combat veterans. Hickey, a distinguished graduate and distinguished military graduate, earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and modern languages from VMI and commissioned in the Army.

Following graduation, Hickey attended Cavalry Leader’s Course, and there was weapons training on every weapon in the inventory. Next, he was off to Germany, arriving Dec. 7, 1982. The next day, Hickey led a company of tanks to “Area Mud” by Schweinfurt. He was in the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, and his battalion commander was U.S. Army Lt. Col. Eric Shinseki, later Army chief of staff. Shinseki told Hickey he knew what to expect from a VMI man.

Hickey married Maureen at this time, and he was in the field when she arrived in Germany. Shinseki’s wife picked her up at the airport and helped her settle in. Maureen was independent and found various government jobs throughout their long-standing marriage and his military career. Border units like Hickey’s carried live ammunition on the tanks and armored personal carriers. Maintenance was a fact of life and Hickey’s early focus. He also lived and worked with Germans, soon learning their language. Hickey’s tasks involved railing equipment; gunnery at Grafenwoehr or Hohenfels; and positions as a platoon leader, executive officer, and adjutant. He headed to the U.S. to Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, for the Infantry Advanced Course before returning back to Germany—first to a staff job in Frankfurt and then to a command in Bad Hersfeld. Hickey commanded L Troop, 3rd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. He would eventually spend 10 years in Germany, and few would know the border areas better than he did. He spent 2 years as a troop commander, earning the coveted Draper Armor Leadership Award before an assignment as squadron S3.

An early promotion followed, and he was promoted early three times—to major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel—a rare honor in the Army very few achieve. He went on to the Defense Language School to study Russian and prepare to be a foreign area officer. Then, he spent a year at Johns Hopkins University, earning a master’s degree at the School of Advanced International Studies. The Army had other plans for Hickey beyond his duty as an FAO and sent him to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, where, for 4 years, he perfected his craft.

Hickey was an expert on mechanized and tank operations, which led him to a short tour back in Germany before he took a battalion command at Fort Carson, leading the 2nd Squadron, 3rd ACR. Training, discipline, and high standards were Hickey’s mantra. His squadron was sent to Bosnia, where he served adjacent to Russian troops. His Russian training came in handy. He trained his leaders to know and qualify with every weapon and to focus on maintenance.

When 9/11 occurred, Hickey was back in Germany. He remembered how German troops, locked and loaded, took over American positions as a sign of solidarity. At home, Germans left pastries and flowers on American doorsteps. This tour was brief, as he was selected to attend a war college-equivalent course at Georgetown University. Hickey was alerted that he would assume command of the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), but the change of command would be in Iraq. His unit invaded Iraq in March 2003, and he arrived in April 2003 with the unit settled around Tikrit. His command covered a 70×50-kilometer area full of combatants. This was a very organized insurgency. Hickey told his commanders, “The enemy are where we aren’t.” He demanded they “learn the enemy, terrain, people and to get out there.” Hickey was hands off if you followed his guidance, and he was always on the move. When he learned that some of his men were under fire, he headed there and left his vehicle with his weapon drawn, later earning a Silver Star. His citation stated, “His heroic leadership directly led to the relief of over 40 soldiers and the defeat of the riots in Bayji.” Hickey led from the front and seemed to always show when his men were engaged.

The pain of losing men was present, but Hickey focused on the mission. His success came from focusing on night operations. In his words, “We owned the night.” After Hussein’s capture, Hickey received ample attention in the press, which was something he neither sought nor was comfortable with. The corps commander, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, introduced Hickey at a major press briefing after the capture, and he had to brief the press at the capture site. Hickey was concerned about likely counterattacks, but after Hussein was captured, his area of operations quieted way down. Things stayed relatively quiet until they redeployed to the States in April. Back home at Fort Hood, his unit rested for a bit, then started training for the next deployment.

Hickey changed command in June 2005. He needed a joint job, so he was assigned to the Joint Staff at the Institute of Defense Analysis. Before long, he was back in Iraq, leading a counter-IED operations and intelligence team. His team provided assessments and recommendations to both Odierno and U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus. He stayed in Iraq until 2008, then headed to the Pentagon as executive officer to Lt. Gen. James Thurman, the Army G3/5/7. The hours were long and endless. After more than 28 years, Hickey retired with Odierno, then-Army chief of staff, officiating at his retirement in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.

After his military service, Hickey was hired for senior positions with Academi, Raytheon, and Palantir. In between, he worked for Sen. John McCain for 4 years. These were among the most enjoyable of his life. As the senior military adviser to McCain, Hickey was deeply involved with McCain’s work on the Senate Armed Services Committee, preparing McCain for meetings and acting as a sounding board.

Friends describe Hickey as having a “single-minded sense of purpose tempered with humor.” Today, Hickey continues to work for Palantir in Northern Virginia, providing data-driven analytics and artificial intelligence to various government agencies. When he’s not working, Hickey likes spending time outdoors, fixing things around the house, and collecting books. Hickey and Maureen have been married for more than 40 years. He also continues to keep up with what is happening at VMI. VMI’s Hall of Valor includes Hickey’s many decorations. Among them are a Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, and a Bronze Star for Valor.