General Hartinger was born in 1925, in Middleport, Ohio. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in 1949, and a master’s degree in business administration from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., in 1963. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in July 1943 and attained the grade of sergeant while serving in the Infantry. Following World War II, he entered the academy and upon graduation in 1949 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.