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View a eulogy for Haywood Shepherd Hansell, USMA '55, who passed away on November 26, 2004.

Haywood Shepherd Hansell

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by San Antonio Express-News on December 6, 2004:

Haywood S. "Tony" Hansell III, a command pilot and retired Air Force colonel, died of a blood and bone marrow disorder at a hospice facility Friday. He was 71.

Hansell, a resident of Fair Oaks Ranch, was the son of Maj. Gen. H.S. "Possum" Hansell Jr. and the son-in-law of Gen. Nathan F. Twining, the first Air Force chief of staff to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Twining, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs from 1957 to 1960 and the elder Hansell both graduated from advanced flying school at Kelly Field in the 1920s.

"Possum" Hansell was relieved of command when he refused to firebomb Japanese cities during World War II, but he is considered one of the airpower heroes of the 20th century.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point - Class of 1955 - Tony Hansell earned his pilot's wings the following year after training at Reese AFB in Lubbock.

In three decades in the Air Force, the Alabama native flew a variety of aircraft, from World War II holdovers like the B-29 Superfortress to F-4 Phantom fighter jets.

Hansell's early assignments included Lincoln AFB, Neb., where he flew the KC-97, and Seymour-Johnson AFB, N.C., where he was aircraft commander and instructor pilot in the KC-135.

During his tour of duty in Vietnam, Hansell was a forward air controller assigned to the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron, II Corps, and flew prop planes.

"Flying at treetop level, those slow-flying planes could get hit, and he often found holes in his plane after he landed," said his son, Stephen Haywood Hansell of San Antonio.

After Vietnam, Hansell spent three years on the faculty of the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Ala.

Hansell, called "Shep" by some and "Tony" by others, served several stints in the Pentagon, where one of the projects he worked on was stealth aircraft.

He retired at Randolph AFB in 1985 as director of programs and long-range plans for the Air Training Command.

From the Air Force, Hansell went to work at Northrop Grumman's San Antonio office. He retired from Northrop in 1995.

His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Air Medal.

Additional survivors include his wife of 49 years, Olivia Twining Hansell of Fair Oaks Ranch; two daughters, Lisa Olivia Hansell and Lt. Col. Jennifer Hansell Perry, both of San Antonio; two grandchildren, Ryan Perry and Jessica Perry, also of San Antonio; a brother, Denny Hansell of Jasper, Ga.; and a sister, Lucia Rose of San Francisco.

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