Kinfolk with Careers: Continuing Saga . . .

Colonel James C. Hodges

US Air Force

I've previously mentioned that my brothers are all more successful than I am, and are still rising. I, by contrast, exemplify the Peter Principle: I long ago reached my level of incompetence and have remained there.

Well, I can now also point to a successful cousin, James Hodges, son of Uncle Cran, whom long-time readers will recall for his occasional tall tales posted on this blog. Cousin James is the real thing, however, as his US Air Force Biography reveals:

Colonel Hodges entered the United States Air Force after graduating from the USAF Academy. He has held several installation, major command, joint, multinational, and Pentagon level positions in the continental United States, overseas, and in deployed environments.

He has, in fact, worked with Nato in Europe, been stationed in Iraq, and served in Afghanistan, among other places in the Air Force's process of giving him a global perspective. He grew up mostly near my Ozark hometown of Salem, Arkansas, but as he was considerably younger than I, we didn't actually meet -- I think -- until early 2000, when he was stationed at Kunsan Air Force Base, in South Korea. He was a captain at the time, but has moved up quickly:

Second Lieutenant - May 29, 1991
First Lieutenant - May 29, 1993
Captain - May 29, 1995
Major - April 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel - March 1, 2006
Colonel - Oct. 1, 2009

Let's keep an eye on his career and see if he rises higher just as rapidly -- even if his steep rise makes my career look not merely static, but in relative decline . . .