Our nation is fortunate to have a tradition of intergenerational military service. One such case is Marine Colonel Richard Ellington Hawes, Jr., who served in the Navy and Marine Corps during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. His Father, also named Richard Ellington Hawes, served in the Navy during World War I and World War II. The older Hawes was a Navy Captain and later received the rank of Rear Admiral at retirement.
Richard Ellington Hawes, Jr., was born on April 23, 1928, in Norfolk City, Virginia, the son of Rear Admiral Richard Ellington Hawes, Sr., and Christina Strailman. Between his Navy and Marine Corps service, he attended the University of Georgia and received a degree in journalism. He later received a master’s degree in education from Boston University in 1971. He married Marian Joan Marshall from Athens, Georgia. He died on August 17, 2015, in Athens, Georgia, at the age of 87.
Colonel Hawes enlisted in the Navy on April 23, 1946, on his eighteenth birthday, and served until the end of World War II in 1946 and 1947. He completed his Navy Recruit Training in 1946.
After the end of World War II, he enlisted in the Navy Submarine School in New London, Connecticut, and earned his Submarine Dolphin certification. He also used this time to complete his journalism degree at the University of Georgia.
In 1951, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and joined the 1st Marine Division, and in 1952, he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in the 1st Marine Division. Colonel Hawes’ career included combat duty in Korea as an Infantry Platoon Commander. In 1953, he participated in the Korean Summer Campaign, and in 1954, he was promoted to Captain Headquarters Marine Corps
In 1954, he was assigned to the Headquarters Marine Corps until 1971, when he was assigned to Task Force Delta, First Marine Air Wing in Nam Phong, Vietnam. In 1971, he was promoted to the rank of Major, Task Force Delta, 1st MAW, Nam Phong. Also in 1971, he participated in the Vietnam Consolidation Campaign
In 1971, he was deployed as Commander of the Advance Echelon Task Force Delta, Thailand, to construct a Marine Airbase in Nam Phong, widely known as the “Rose Garden” for its rugged conditions. In 1972 he participated in the Vietnam Cease-fire Campaign
He served multiple tours in Vietnam, flying hundreds of missions in his beloved A4 Skyhawk attack jet. He earned the Air Medal with 14 Strike Flight Awards and Combat V.
1974 he was promoted to Colonel, and assumed Command of Marine Aircraft Group 32, where he led the establishment of the first Marine Corps Harrier squadron. This post included oversight of A-4 Skyhawks and AV8a Harrier jets. He left this post in 1976.
In 1978, he was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, University of Louisville
From 1980 to 1982, he was the commanding officer of the Marine Wing Support Group (MWSG-47), NAF Detroit. The MWSG-47 unit provided support operations for other Marine aircraft units.
Other tours of duty included Armed Forces Southern Europe based in Naples, Italy; Commanding Officer of the Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1 in Japan; and Commanding Officer of the 36th Marine Amphibious Unit. Colonel Hawes also served as the Assistant Chief of Staff at the Marine Corps Base in Okinawa, Japan, & Commanding Officer & Professor of Naval Science (NROTC), at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky.
Having served in two military branches, Colonel Hawes had to be, the only Marine Corps officer who was qualified to wear both the USN Enlisted Submarine Insignia and Naval Aviator wings. He earned his Naval Aviator Wings following combat duty in the Korean War as an infantry officer.
He would fly several combat tours in Vietnam, flying his beloved A-4 Skyhawks.
Shown here are the Insignia and Medals Colonel Richard Ellington Hawes, Jr. earned during his career. They include:
Aviator Insignia
Enlisted Submarine Insignia
Expert Rifleman
Pistol Expert
