Veteran of the Year
Retired Marine Lt. Col. Norman Hitchcock: A Lifetime of Service and Leadership
Norman Hitchcock, was living in Grenada when enrolled at Holmes. He dedicated himself to 29 years to the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the grade of lieutenant colonel and earning distinction as both a leader and educator.
Known early on for his warm personality, Hitchcock was voted “Friendliest” during his sophomore year at Holmes Junior College. He is the son of Willard J. and Eddie Pritchett Hitchcock.
He began his academic journey at Holmes in 1970, graduating in 1972. He transferred to Delta State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1974. Shortly after graduation, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and completed Officer Candidates School in 1975.
Hitchcock’s military education includes the Marine Basic School, the basic and advanced field artillery courses at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and graduation from the U.S. Army War College. He earned a master’s degree in education from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and a Master of Arts in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
As an artillery officer, Hitchcock led Marines both in the United States and during overseas deployments to Europe, the Western Pacific and Cuba. He trained with the British Royal Marines above the Arctic Circle in Norway and deployed aboard Sixth Fleet ships during three Mediterranean cruises. As commanding officer of Battery A, Battalion Landing Team 1/3, his Western Pacific deployment included stops in Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, and Malaysia.
His final overseas deployment took he served as the Operations Officer, Task Force 160 during the Cuba during the Haitian and Cuban migrant humanitarian operations.
One of Hitchcock’s key roles was as an officer in the Marine Embassy Guard Battalion, where he led more than 250 Marines assigned to 26 embassy detachments throughout the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
He also held numerous staff positions, including recruiting duty in Orlando, Florida, where he served as operations and executive officer. Following a three-year assignment in Hawaii, he was selected to serve at the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Unit in Hampton Roads Virginia. He was accredited as a military professor at Old Dominion University, Hampton University and Norfolk State University.
Later, he was assigned as the assistant Naval and Air attaché at the U.S. Embassy Madrid, Spain. He subsequently served at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, as Fires Officer with the II Marine Expeditionary Force. While there he volunteered and served in Bosnia.
His final active-duty assignment brought him back to the Naval War College, where he served as a game director in the War Gaming Department and led the International Team for three years. He then joined the academic faculty as a military professor in the National Security Affairs Department. After retiring from active duty, he remained at the college as an associate professor in the Distance Education Department.
In 2014, following his second retirement, Hitchcock and his wife, Gretchen, settled in Sparta. He has remained active in his community, serving as a public library trustee and as a trustee of Pierce Memorial Global Methodist Church, where he is a member and Sunday School teacher.
Hitchcock is a Master Mason and a 32nd-degree member of the Scottish Rite. He is a Past
Master of St. Paul’s Lodge No. 14 in Middletown, Rhode Island.
An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys fishing, hunting and shooting.
