Photos courtesy of Glenn Hammond
By Matt de Simone
For Col. Glenn Hammond, the retirement of his son, Lt. Col. Barry Hammond, represented something more than the conclusion of a 20-year military career.
It was, he said, the crowning touch of his own life.
Barry Hammond, a 2002 graduate of Lord Botetourt High School and a 2006 graduate of Virginia Military Institute, recently retired from the U.S. Air Force during a ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla.
His father, who lives in Troutville, was there to watch it happen.
“I think as a father, the crowning touch of my entire life, I think, is not what I accomplished,” Glenn said. “This is what it really, really got my attention.”
Glenn knows something about military service himself. But as he reflected on his son’s career, he spoke less about his own accomplishments and more about the path Barry had taken and the lessons he had carried with him along the way.
He distinctly remembers bringing his young son, now 41, along as he worked on various electrical and radio projects.
One memory in particular stands out.
Barry was about 3 years old when Glenn took him to a radio station in Halifax County where Glenn was working on a 7,500-volt transformer.
Glenn warned his son not to touch anything.
“I saw him reach for a screwdriver and head directly to that transformer,” Glenn recalled.
Glenn quickly intervened.
Barry laughed. His father, however, saw something else in the moment.
“I said, ‘Future engineer, electrical engineer, I’m certain of it,’” he recalled. “And I said, ‘You got the attitude to be special ops one of these days.’ He said, ‘What’s special ops, Dad?’ And I said, ‘I will show you over the years.’”
Barry would eventually become an electrical engineer and an Air Force officer whose career included assignments involving advanced military technology.
He was commissioned in May 2006 through ROTC at VMI, where he earned a degree in electrical and computer engineering. He later earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering with a radar concentration from the Air Force Institute of Technology.
His Air Force career began at Edwards Air Force Base, where he served as a developmental test engineer working with targeting pods on the F-16, B-1 and B-52 platforms.
He later served with the National Reconnaissance Office, the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and other organizations before becoming the program manager for Remote Capabilities within Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.
His work included managing programs involving unmanned air and ground systems, unmanned aerial systems and space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
But for Glenn, the titles and assignments were never the most important part. What mattered was the person his son became.
As Barry was growing up, Glenn remembers him insisting that he would be different from his father.
“He said, ‘I’m totally different from you, Dad,’” Glenn recalled.
Barry had chosen his own path: VMI, electrical engineering and the Air Force.
Yet Glenn eventually saw similarities between their careers, particularly in the way they viewed leadership and responsibility.
Glenn said that when he was commissioned in 1969, he was given advice that stayed with him throughout his military career: The rank of second lieutenant was a “learner’s permit,” and young officers needed to learn from the people they were responsible for leading.
Years later, Glenn passed that lesson on to Barry.
When Barry was a new second lieutenant at Edwards, Glenn visited him at the base. At one point, Barry looked at his father and told him he wasn’t cleared to hear what was being discussed.
Glenn didn’t argue.
“I said, ‘You’re right,’” he recalled.
He stepped outside and waited until Barry could return.
For Glenn, the moment was another indication that his son understood the responsibilities that came with his uniform. Not long afterward, Barry was selected as Edwards Air Force Base’s Junior Officer of the Month and then Junior Officer of the Year, Glenn said.
Over the years, Glenn watched his son’s career continue to develop. He also watched Barry develop into the kind of leader Glenn had hoped he would become.
At the retirement ceremony in Tampa, Glenn went through a receiving line with people who had worked with his son.
The comments he heard from them meant more to him than any title or award.
“They all said, ‘Colonel Hammond, whatever you did, you did right because he looks out for all of us,’” Glenn recalled. “He treats his people like number one. I mean, you know, he would sacrifice himself to take care of us.”
That, Glenn said, was what he had tried to teach his son.
The ceremony included remarks by senior defense official David M. Breede, a medal presentation, retirement orders, certificates and a presentation about Barry’s work with Remote Capabilities before Hammond delivered his own remarks.
For Glenn, however, the most meaningful part was simply being there.
He remembered taking Barry to visit the Air Force Academy, West Point and the Naval Academy when his son was considering his future. Barry ultimately chose VMI, graduating with the Class of 2006.
Nearly two decades later, Glenn stood beside his son as Barry’s military career came to an end.
Looking back, Glenn said he remains proud not only of what Barry accomplished, but of how he accomplished it.
The little boy who once reached toward a 7,500-volt transformer became an engineer, an officer and a leader.
And for his father, that journey is the accomplishment that matters most.
“I think as a father, the crowning touch of my entire life,” Glenn said, “is not what I accomplished.”
