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1st LT WILLIAM DEAN HAWKINS Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 19 .April 1914, Fort Scott, Kans. Appointed from: El Paso, Tex. Citation: For valorous and gallant conduct above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of a Scout Sniper Platoon attached to the Assault Regiment in action against Japanese-held Tarawa in the Gilbert Island, 20 and 21 November 1943. The first to disembark from the jeep lighter, 1st Lt. Hawkins unhesitatingly moved forward under heavy enemy fire at the end of the Betio Pier, neutralizing emplacements in coverage of troops assaulting the main beach positions. Fearlessly leading his men on to join the forces fighting desperately to gain a beachhead, he repeatedly risked his life throughout the day and night to direct and lead attacks on pillboxes and installations with grenades and demolitions. At dawn on the following day, 1st Lt. Hawkins resumed the dangerous mission of clearing the limited beachhead of Japanese resistance, personally initiating an assault on a hostile position fortified by 5 enemy machineguns, and, crawling forward in the face of withering fire, boldly fired pointblank into the loopholes and completed the destruction with grenades. Refusing to withdraw after being seriously wounded in the chest during this skirmish, 1st Lt. Hawkins steadfastly carried the fight to the enemy, destroying 3 more pillboxes before he was caught in a burst of Japanese shellfire and mortally wounded. His relentless fighting spirit in the face of formidable opposition and his exceptionally daring tactics served as an inspiration to his comrades during the most crucial phase of the battle and reflect the highest credit upon the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country. Franklin D. Roosevelt Footnote: First Lieutenant William Dean Hawkins was born on April 19, 1914 to Mrs. C. Jane Hawkins in Fort Scott, Kansas. He attended Lamar and Alta Vista schools in El Paso, Texas and graduated at age 16 from El Paso High School. He attended Texas School of Mines (now University of Texas at El Paso) on a scholarship. Though he claimed to oppose war, he joined the Marines in January 1942. He fought in the campaign for the Solomon Islands and accepted a battlefield commission in November 1942. He was a Scout/Sniper during the assault of Tarawa and was cited for his actions November 20 and 21, 1943 when he was killed. After the island was secured the airstrip was named Hawkins Field in his honor. A destroyer was named in his honor, The USS Hawkins (DD-873) and commissioned February 10, 1945. He is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
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