Draft:John A. Hammond (general)

John. A "Jack" Hammond is a retired United States Army Brigadier General who has served as the Executive Director of Home Base since 2012.

Home Base, a national nonprofit founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Red Sox, is dedicated to healing the invisible wounds of war for Veterans, Service Members Military Families and Families of the Fallen at no cost to them.

Early Life and Education
A native of Reading, Massachusetts, Hammond grew up in a military family with four relatives serving in World War II and one each in Korea and Vietnam. He is a 1979 graduate of Reading Memorial High School.

Hammond holds a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts Boston. While an undergraduate, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Massachusetts Military Academy Officer Candidate School. Hammond also holds a Master’s in healthcare marketing from Boston University and was a National Security Fellow at Harvard University.

Military Career
Hammond's military career began in 1984 and includes leading United States and NATO forces in combat and counterterrorism operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In his first years as a full-time officer, Hammond served in many roles in the Military Police Corps (United States).

In 2002, following the September 11 attacks, Hammond deployed to Afghanistan.

In 2003, Hammond simultaneously commanded two battalions in Iraq, Task Force Patriot in Balad and Task Force Enforcer in Fallujah, on more than 100 intelligence counterterrorist operations.

In 2006, Hammond was deployed to New Orleans in support of Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. He served as the Chief of Staff of the Massachusetts Joint Force Headquarters and oversaw the operational readiness and strategic planning efforts for the 8,500 Soldiers and Airmen of the Massachusetts National Guard.

In 2011, Hammond became the first Massachusetts National Guard officer to achieve the rank of General in a combat theater since World War II. From 2011 to 2012, he commanded Task Force Yankee and the Kabul Base Cluster Command in Kabul. As Commanding General of the 26th Maneuver Enhanced Brigade, he was responsible for a multinational security force of 3,000 personnel, providing security and support for 11 United States installations and 10,000 coalition members. Task Force Yankee was also responsible for counterinsurgency, humanitarian assistance and area support for United States forces in Kabul.

Boston Hope
In 2020, Hammond was tapped by then-Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker to lead build-out and operations for Boston Hope Medical Center, a 1,000-bed post-acute-care hospital built in one week in anticipation of a possible crush of patients that could overwhelm Boston-area hospitals due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partly for his experience in responding to disasters, both human-caused and natural. In the following months, Boston Hope would successfully provide care to more than 700 subacute patients who had COVID-19 or were recovering from it.

Awards and Decorations
Hammond is the recipient of numerous military awards, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and Army Commendation Medal for Valor with Oak Leaf Cluster.