CHS, West Point graduate John ‘Sug’ Hamlin dies

Retired Col. John “Sug” Hamlin, who graduated from Corbin High School in 1967, and The United States Military Academy West Point in 1972, passed away Saturday, May 9, in Birmingham, Alabama.

“John was extremely proud of his Corbin roots. He was also proud of graduating from West Point and being able to serve his country. He served in the Army for 23 years,” said his brother, Richard Hamlin.

John Hamlin served at several military posts in the states including: Fort Lewis, Washington; and Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he was trained to fly Cobra Attack helicopters. He also served at Fort Campbell, Kentucky several times.

While at Fort Campbell he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), which is nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles.”

The Screaming Eagles are one of the most deployed and recognized divisions in the U.S. Army, with a combat record spanning from paratroopers of WWII to the Security Force Assistance Teams deployed in Afghanistan today, Richard Hamlin noted.

While at Fort Campbell, John Hamlin was deployed to Desert Storm to fly Cobra Attack Helicopters.

In August 1990, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) deployed to the Middle East in support of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

During the Liberation of Kuwait, the division fired the first shots of the air war and conducted the longest and largest air assault operation to date securing Iraqi territory, Richard Hamlin noted.

John Hamlin, 70, was preceded in death by his parents, Audrey and Mildred Hamlin; and a brother, Doug Hamlin. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Carol Brewer Hamlin of Dothan, Alabama, and his brother, Richard (Dr. Karen Hamlin) of Nicholasville, Kentucky.

Military honors will be rendered for family and close friends during a ceremony planned at Sunset Memorial Park Funeral Home at Dothan.