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This Remembrance Profile was originally created by Sgt Stephen Willcox - Deceased
Contact Info
Home Town Hinsdale, Illinois
Last Address Shalimar, Florida
Date of Passing Feb 04, 1998
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Lieutenant Colonel Edward Francis Hodges retired from the U.S. Air Force on June 30, 1970. At the time of his retirement he was the Deputy to Chief Plans & Programs for Special Operations Forces Headquarters at Eglin AFB, Florida. He was then President and general manager of Hodges and Sons Inc., a heating and air conditioning company until the business was sold in 1979. He lived in the Shalimar, Florida area from about 1968 to his death at the Fort Walton Beach Medical Center in 1998 from complications of Lung Cancer. During his retirement years he was active in a number of military related organizations including the Air Force Association, Retired Officers Association, BPOE Fort Walton Beach Lodge 1795, Disabled American Veterans, P-47 Thunderbolt Pilots Association, P-51 Mustang Pilots Association and the Northwest Florida Retired Officers Club.
He is buried at the Beal Memorial Cemetery, Ft. Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, Florida.
Sources: http://www.findagrave.com, Social Security Death Index, Ancestry.com and Florida Death Index, 1877-1998, Ancestry.com
Other Comments:
Edward Francis Hodges was born in Hinsdale, Illinois, the son of Edward P. Hodges and Mary Frances Nanz. In the late 1930's he served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in Missouri before enlisting in the Army Air Corps on March 30, 1942 at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. By 1945 he was flying combat missions in P-47s from the island of le Shima against mainland Japan. By 1947 he trained to fly the P-51 at Kearney Air Base in Nebraska, then deployed to Clark AFB in the Philippines in 1948. A Clark Field he served as both a pilot and supply officer for the 67th Fighter Squadron. With the onslaught of the Korea War he was flying combat missions again in 1950. Returning from a combat mission his engine quit and he was forced to bail out, injuring his back as he ejected from the aircraft. He was later rescued and returned to duty, but because of his back injury he was sent back to Clark Field and soon back to the states were he trained F-86 and F-84 pilots for the Korean War. During the Vietnam War he was sent to Tan Son Nhut Air Base where he served as Commander ALCE (Airlift Control Element).
Sources: http://trees.ancestry.com, U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 & http://www.18thfwa.org
Note: During his career Lt. Col. Hodges obviously earned other medals then those depicted on this profile, thus the medal array does not represent his full awards and honors. The dates for the medals are also not accurate, but attempt to represent what he would have earned while serving in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, plus other awards mentioned in Internet resources. For a more detailed biography of Lt. Colonel Edward F Hodges see http://www.18thfwa.org/natural/Causes/edHodges/edHodges.php
1952-1953, F-84 Thunderjet
From Year 1952
To Year 1953
Personal Memories
Not Specified
Image
F-84 Thunderjet Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
Model Republic F-84F Thunderjet Length 37.43 ft | 11.41 m Width 36.42 ft | 11.10 m Height 14.99 ft | 4.57 m Engine(s) 1 x Wright J65-W-3 turbojet engine generating 7,220lbs of thrust. Empty Weight 13,830 lbs | 6,273 kg MTOW 28,001 lbs | 12,701 kg Max Speed 695 mph | 1,118 km/h | 604 kts Max Range 860 miles | 1,384 km Ceiling 45,997 ft | 14,020 m | 8.7 miles Climb Rate 7,400 ft/min (2,257 m/min) Hardpoints 2 Armament 6 x 12.7mm machine guns 24 x 5in rockets
Up to 6,000lbs of external ordnance. Accommodations 1
Major Variants
* XP-84 Thunderjet - First prototype model (1946); General Electric J35-GE-7 turbojet engine. * XP-8A Thunderjet - Prototype (25 total); Allison J35-A-15 * P-84B Thunderjet - XP-8A porduction model. * P-84C Thunderjet - Revised electrical system; J35-A-13C engine; Later redesignated as the F-84C. * F-84 Thunderjet * YF-84A Thunderjet - First swept-wing variant * F-84D Thunderjet - J35-A-17D engine; Re-engineered landing gear system; thicker wing systems. * F-84E Thunderjet - Post-Korean War model featuring improved system components; Enlarged cockpit; Lengthened fuselage. * F-84G Thunderjet - J35-A-29 engine * F-84F Thunderstreak - Swept wing; Wright J65-W-1 turbojet engine (later models with Wright J65-W-3 engines). * RF-84F Thunderflash - Final development model of F-84 series; Reconnaissance variant with J65-W-7 engine.