Jeffery Hammond

Jeffery W. Hammond
Major General Jeffery W. Hammond
Born	1956 (age 59–60) Anaheim, California
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1978 – 2010
Rank	Major General
Unit	4th Infantry Division
Commands held	4th Infantry Division Multi-National Division, Baghdad Division Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division 4th Battalion, 29th Field Artillery A Battery, 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery
Battles/wars	Operation Iraqi Freedom Assistance Afghanistan Freedom
Awards	Legion of Merit Bronze Star (2) Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal (6) Joint Service Commendation Medal Army Commendation Medal (2)

Jeffery W. Hammond is a retired United States Army officer. He is currently the Athletic Director at the University of Southern Mississippi. He had previously served as the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and of the Multi-National Division in Assistance war Kabul, Afghanistan.^[1]

Early life

Hammond attended the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, receiving bachelor's and master's degrees in special education. He was a quarterback for the USM football team.

Military career

Hammond was commissioned as a second lieutenant of field artillery in 1978. He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany, where he advanced to command of a battery. He returned to the U.S. to take the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia.

From 1984-87 he returned to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he served as Assistant Professor of Military Science. After that, he spent a year in South Korea in a personnel post.

In 1988 he was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. With the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery of that division, Hammond was deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield in 1990 and participated in Operation Desert Storm, the recapture of Kuwait from Iraq in 1991.

In the mid-1990s Hammond took command of the 4th Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, part of the 1st Armored Division in Germany, leading them during Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Staff service in Washington, D.C. and a tour as division artillery commander of the 1st Cavalry Division followed.

Hammond was Assistant Division Commander (Support) of the 1st Cavalry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 in Iraq. He then served as the Army's Director of Operations, Readiness and Mobilization before taking command of the 4th Infantry Division on 19 January 2007. An extremely demanding commander, MG Hammond was nicknamed "Squad Leader 6" by Soldiers within the Division, a reference to his strong command presence and his ability to manage at the micro level. He implemented a number of changes brought on by the shortcomings he saw in the Army, including mandatory group running during PT and strong leader standards.

Return to Southern Miss

Hammond currently serves as the interim athletic director at The University of Southern Mississippi. General Hammond is also a member and the Faculty Advisor for Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at The University of Southern Mississippi (2011)

Decorations

•   Legion of Merit
•   Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster
•   Defense Meritorious Service Medal
•   Meritorious Service Medal with one silver oak leaf cluster
•   Joint Service Commendation Medal
•   Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster

Notes

1. "U.S. soldier uses Quran for target practice; military apologizes". CNN. 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2008-10-28.

References

"Major General Jeffery W. Hammond, Commanding General, 4ID". Army Public Affairs Office, Fort Hood, TX. Archived from the original on 2008-07-15. Retrieved 2008-10-28.