James Hickey (soldier)

James Hickey (1961- ) is a retired U.S. Army colonel. In 2003, he led Operation Red Dawn, the U.S. military effort that captured Saddam Hussein near Tikrit, Iraq.

Early life & Military Career
He comes from a first generation Irish American family of six children. His grandfather served in Europe during World War I before returning to Ireland, and his father was sent to Korea after emigrating to America. He is a 1982 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. Earlier Command contribution included Camp McGovern, Brčko (city), Bosnia. He was also interviewed and shown on the Military Channel show "Ace in the Hole" and he featured in TV documentaries such as Zero Hour, 2003 BBC World News and 2009 The Surge: The Whole Story.

Then Lieutenant Hickey's first Army assignment was as 3rd Platoon Leader in A Troop 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, 3rd Infantry Division. This unit Patrolled the East/West German border in the region between 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the North and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in the South. The unit was stationed in Schweinfurt with a border station at Coburg. The Commander at the time was LTC Eric Shinseki, later Army Chief of Staff. Lt. Hickey also served as the Squadron's Boeselager Cup Team Leader.

At his retirement ceremony on December 15, 2010, Col Jim Hickey was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star for his service in Iraq. He is currently Xe Services's Military Liaison for Global Training and Security.