Thomas H. Hutchinson
	Thursday, May 25, 2006
Thomas Harvey Hutchinson, 86, a retired Navy commander, died of a blood disorder May 20 at Calvert Memorial Hospital in Prince Frederick. He lived in Solomons.
Cmdr. Hutchinson was born in Washington and was a member of the first graduating class at  Anacostia High School in 1938. A standout athlete in football and baseball, he attended George Washington University on a football scholarship. Before graduating, he enlisted in the Navy's V-5 flight program in December 1941.
After becoming an aviator, he served in the South Pacific with a dive-bombing squadron in support of Marines at Guadalcanal, Bougainville and Japanese strongholds in nearby islands. After a year in combat, he was assigned to be a flight instructor at Pearl Harbor. He later was assigned to a fighter squadron to prepare for a second tour of combat in the North Pacific.
During the Korean War, Cmdr. Hutchinson was staff officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Wright in the Yellow Sea. During the Vietnam War, he was officer in charge of the 7th Fleet detachment supporting Yankee Station carrier operations. In 1965, he survived a catapult accident off the USS Independence and returned to the United States after several months of rehabilitation in the Philippines. He retired from active duty in 1967.
The following year, Cmdr. Hutchinson went to work at the Pentagon as a civilian, serving for the next 14 years as the Navy representative to the joint chiefs of staff for special operations.
He finished his college degree at George Washington in 1973. He also graduated from the Navy Postgraduate School and the Naval War College. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Military Officers Association of America and Disabled American Veterans.
Among his awards were the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, eight awards of the Air Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal.
Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Mary Ann Dinn Hutchinson of Solomons; three children, Maureen Witt of Bowie, Thomas H. Hutchinson of Las Cruces, N.M., and Susan Menna of Waldorf; and five grandchildren.