Hickam was an engineer for the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command from 1971 to 1978 assigned to Huntsville.

He served six years on active duty, leaving the Army as a Captain. For his service, he earned the Commendation and Bronze Star Medals. 'Skipper II' was cast to carry on the tradition at Virginia Tech, and the original Skipper now resides in honor in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Museum.Ī United States Army veteran, Hickam served as a First Lieutenant in the Fourth Infantry Division during the Vietnam War in 19. The original Skipper is now retired after having been replaced by a second cannon 'Skipper II' after an incident in 1983.

Kennedy and has become an icon for the Hokies. The cannon was named 'The Skipper' after President John F. The cannon was cast out of brass that had been collected from cadet belt buckles and caps, and scrap he got from his father, the superintendent of a coal mine. While at Virginia Tech he designed a cannon to be fired at games and during corps of cadets functions. Hickam graduated from Virginia Tech in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. After working on finding the perfect way to build rockets, they took their designs to the 1960 National Science Fair, where the BCMA won a gold and silver medal in the area of propulsion. They called themselves the Big Creek Missile Agency (BCMA). While there, he led a group of boys who built rockets. He graduated from Big Creek High School in 1960. and Elsie Gardener Hickam (née Lavender) and was raised in Coalwood, West Virginia. His books have been translated into several languages. Hickam has also written a number of best-selling memoirs and novels including the 'Josh Thurlow' historical fiction novels. 1 New York Times Best Seller, is studied in many American and international school systems, and was the basis for the film October Sky. His autobiographical novel Rocket Boys: A Memoir, was a No. (born February 19, 1943) is an American author, Vietnam veteran, and a former NASA engineer. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Homer h hickam jr