Father and son captains cross paths at MacDill Published Sept. 1, 2011 By Nick Stubbs 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- His father is Navy, as was his father, and his father before him, but the tide turned with Joseph Hinson the IV, who went Air Force. There are no hard feelings, though, said Navy Capt. Joseph Hinson the III, who is a Reservist assigned to Naval Forces Central Command and who last week had a chance reunion with his son at MacDill. "He had offers to go to the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy," said Hinson the III. "I was pleased with the choice he made, and that he's serving his country and doing a fine job of it. "What more could someone ask of their son?" Hinson the IV is a member of the 26th Network Operations Squadron at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., and is on temporary duty at MacDill to help install communications equipment in the new U.S. Central Command headquarters building under construction. He was surprised to learn that his dad drew an assignment to visit MacDill for a week, and between work the father and son captains spent some quality time together. "This is the first time we've been together on orders, so it was a good opportunity for us," said Hinson the IV, who graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1998. His original goal was to become a pilot, but fate sent him down a different path. Today he specializes in cyber communications and security. His dad was based at MacDill in 2002 and 2003, but now lives in Knoxville, Tenn., visiting the Naval Reserve Center at MacDill, to which he is attached, rarely. "The stars lined up and it was a good opportunity to see what kind of work he's doing at CENTCOM," said Hinson the III, who as a branch manager for Contingency Engineering Management at NAVCENT supports USCENTCOM as a customer. Hinson the III said there's a chance he may be returning to MacDill next month, in which case he'll get to spend a bit more time with his son, the father of two daughters and a baby boy expected in December. Hinson the V? "Well, maybe," says the III. Air Force or Navy? We'll have to wait and see on that one, says granddad.