After completing the
Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate School in
Pensacola, Florida, in September 1958, Hacker was commissioned Ensign and subsequently received the designation of
Naval Aviation Observer (NAO). Hacker gained experience as a Navigator and Tactical Coordinator in
SP-2H "Neptune" and
P-3C "Orion" aircraft through numerous operational assignments in the far reaches of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Mediterranean Sea. He took command of the
United States Naval Facility, Barbados,
West Indies on July 2, 1968. In 1972, he established the
Naval ROTC Unit at
Florida A & M University, in
Tallahassee, Florida, and served as the first
Commanding Officer and Professor of Naval Science of this unit. In 1974 he became Commanding Officer of
Patrol Squadron 24 (VP-24), a P-3C
Orion Squadron stationed in
Jacksonville, Florida, and was promoted to
captain following his squadron command tour. In June 1978, he completed studies in National Security Policy at the
Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and earned a Masters of Science Degree in Administration from
George Washington University in Washington, D.C. In August 1978, he was assigned as Commanding Officer,
Naval Air Station,
Brunswick, Maine. In 1980, then-Captain Hacker was selected for promotion to
rear admiral and assumed duties as Commander, U.S. Military Enlistment Processing Command with headquarters in
Fort Sheridan, Illinois. In 1982, he became Commander Fleet Air Mediterranean; Commander Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Forces, U.S.
Sixth Fleet; and Commander Maritime Air Forces Mediterranean simultaneously with headquarters in
Naples, Italy. In 1986, he was assigned as Commander, Naval Training Center,
San Diego. During this assignment he was also assigned Commander, Naval Base San Diego. He held both commands simultaneously for several months. In 1988, at the completion of his assignment as Commander, Naval Base San Diego, Rear Admiral Hacker retired from the U.S. Navy. Rear Admiral Hacker was the first Naval Flight Officer (NFO) to be selected for Flag rank in the United States Navy. He held ten commands over the course of his 30-year military career. Included among Rear Admiral Hacker's personal decorations are the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with three Gold Stars, and the Meritorious Service Medal. On November 3, 2005, the "Commander, Task Force 67" headquarters building located in
Sigonella, Sicily was dedicated in his honor. ==Civilian==