Passing of Vice Admiral of Engineering -- Hatch

[Amicus]

I am afraid that I must announce with sorrow the passing of Douglas Lance Hatcher -- Hatch, Vice Admiral of Engineering Division.

Local news sources report that Doug died in a recreational vehicle crash on August 9, 2021, just three months away from retiring from his job as a supervisory agent with the U.S. Border Patrol in Uvalde, Texas. (See https://www.uvaldeleadernews.com/articl ... t-hatcher/; https://www.ticklethewire.com/tag/douglas-hatcher/.) Age 50, he was survived by his two adult sons. Condolences may be shared with his family at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituar ... r-10307418 (see Add a Memory link there).

Hatch joined 12th fleet in November 2010, starting in Tactical Division. After going inactive for 2014 due to interference from RL; he rejoined the fleet in March 2015 and switched to Engineering Division. When drama struck the fleet in August of 2015, Hatch was an advocate for calm, making it clear his intention was to stick with 12th. In October 2015, Hatch became Captain of Charlie squad Engineering, and a month later he was promoted to Fleet Captain while retaining his CO role over Charlie. In April 2016, he was promoted to Rear Admiral of Engineering. When Aukora stepped down as Vice Admiral of Engineering in May 2016, Hatch stepped into the breach and was elected by the division members to the VA post.

Hatch shone in his role as Vice Admiral. He was a reliable voice of reason in the Officers Lounge. He was a regular and welcome participant on the forum, Discord, and in game. He kept up on the sometimes-tedious administration of what was the largest division in the fleet. He took on the unheralded burden of regularly updating the fleet recruitment thread in the ARC/STO forum. Always willing to help, Hatch was a leader who understood that to lead meant to serve. Hatch was a bulwark of the fleet who will be sorely missed.

Salute!

Amicus, Fleet Executive Officer
12th Fleet

[Lupy]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

My condolences to the family!

[venethus]

Damn, sad to hear of his passing.

[Aukora]

It's a sad day today. I'll miss him a ton. Was a great guy both in-game and real life.

[Maverick]

I feel so very lucky to have known him and am so saddened to hear of his passing. I wish all the best to his family, friends, and the fleet.

I know so well how hard a sudden passing can be.. I will pray that his loves ones find the strength and support they need to move forward and to carry the person he was forward in the memories they have. He will stay in our hearts always as a leader and a friend.

[Stromgold]

Oh no!!!!!
A couple of us were just talking about him last week. We were wondering why we hadn't seen him lately and hoping that everything was ok. I am very sad to hear this! He was such a nice guy and always fun to talk to.

[Sabot02]

I'm not sure what to think at this point. I knew he hadn't been online in some time. He was a stalwart presence as Engineering's VA and now the second we have lost unexpectedly. He will be missed.

[AshesandEmbers]

He will be missed.

[Rainyn]

That's awful. He was a familiar face and was always welcoming when returning to the game. He'll be missed.

[N5XTR]

We will all miss Hatch dearly. Hatch and I spent many hours talking on Teamspeak & Discord.
He was a great guy!