A 1929 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York,[4] Huglin was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery.

[3] He was the eldest of three sons of John Albert Huglin, a lawyer, and his wife Clara Lenore née Porter.

[3][8] Huglin volunteered for pilot training, and was a student officer at the Air Corps Primary Flying School at Randolph Field, Texas, from 1 July 1930 to 28 February 1931.

He was stationed at Langley Field, Virginia, with the 49th Bombardment Squadron, and formally transferred to the United States Army Air Corps on 22 December 1931.

He became the assistant operations officer of the 2nd Bombardment Group until 31 August 1932, when he assumed command of a flight of the 16th Observation Squadron, also based there.

On 1 September 1941, he became the assistant G-3 (operations officer) at GHQ Air Force at Bolling Field in Washington, DC.

[10] He became the chief of the Training Division in the Directorate of Bombardment at Air Corps headquarters in Washington, DC, in March 1942.

[3] For his service in Europe with the Eighth Air Force, during which he flew nine combat missions,[11] he was awarded the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal and the Commendation Ribbon with two oak leaf clusters.

[3] His citation for the Distinguished Flying Cross read:For extraordinary achievement while serving as Commander in the Air of a Wing of B-17 aircraft on a heavy bombardment mission against the enemy over Germany, 5 August 1944.

The Target on this very deep penetration into enemy territory was an important aircraft and motor works plant at Magdeburg, Germany.

Under Colonel Huglin's efficient direction, wing assembly was made and a superior formation maintained throughout the mission.

[5] In July 1952 Huglin returned to the Pentagon as the director of the Management Analysis Service in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force.