Thom's military services was during the time of the Vietnam War.  Thom entered the Army as a Private in January 1967 and was commissioned a 2nt Lieutenant in November 1967.  Thom served as a Signal Corps officer in the Strategic Communications Command with a tour of duty in Germany in charge of forward signal sites transmitting signals between Washington D.C. and Vietnam.  After this tour 1st Lieutenant Hackett returned to the states for additional training at the Military Advisory School where he was promoted to Captain.  Then he and Donna were off to the Defense Language Institute for Vietnamese Language training.  (Whoa, what a trip for a country boy from Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee.)  Then off to Vietnam where Captain Hackett was re-assigned to the State Department for his tour of duty in Vietnam.  Thom served with distinction and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.  Thom continued to work for the Department of Defense as a government executive.  He ended his career in 2006 as the systems manager for the Defense Commissary Agency.  Thom is now retired and living in Chester, Virginia.