Jack L. Hawkins (October 25, 1916 – May 17, 2013) was a

United States Marines Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

employed by the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

for the military planning, training of

Cuban exile A Cuban exile is a person who emigrated from Cuba in the Cuban exodus. Exiles have various differing experiences as emigrants depending on when they migrated during the exodus. Demographics Social class Cuban exiles would come from various ec ...

s, and the effective military command of forces in the

Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called ''Invasión de Playa Girón'' or ''Batalla de Playa Girón'' after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban exiles, covertly fin ...

of Cuba in April 1961. Hawkins was known by the alias ''John Haskins''.

Biography

Jack Hawkins graduated as a second lieutenant from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

. In 1939, he attended the Marine Corps Basic School for officers, and then served with the Fourth Marines in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

and in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

when the regiment was transferred there in late 1941.Hawkins. 1961. ''Never Say Die''.

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he saw service in the

at the

Battle of Bataan The Battle of Bataan ( tl, Labanan sa Bataan; January 7 – April 9, 1942) was fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Japan during World War II. The battle represented the most intense phase of the Japanese inva ...

and was taken prisoner by Japanese armed forces after the Battle of Corregidor. Initially sent to a prison camp on

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

, he was later transferred to another prison camp on

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

where conditions were somewhat better. The new prison camp was actually a pre-war convict facility on a plantation. Eventually, he and two other POWs, one of whom was William Dyess, planned an escape.Dyess, W.E., 1944, The Dyess Story, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons However, the need for additional expertise in their post-escape plans brought the total number of Americans in the group to ten, including

Samuel Grashio Samuel Charles Grashio (April 1, 1918 – October 3, 1999) was a United States Army Air Forces pilot who was captured by the Japanese in World War II. He survived the Bataan Death March and participated in the only successful mass escape from a J ...

and

Austin Shofner Brigadier General Austin Conner Shofner (March 3, 1916 – November 13, 1999) was a United States Marine Corps officer who was captured during the Battle of Corregidor and then part of the only successful escape from a Japanese prisoner of war c ...

. Then they enlisted the help of two Filipinos who had been imprisoned before the war as convicts to serve as guides. The escape was successful and the two Filipinos eventually received pardons for their assistance. The group moved through dangerous swamps for several days and eventually stumbled upon a guerrilla unit. This unit passed the Americans on to other bands until the escapees eventually were led to Colonel

Wendell Fertig Wendell Fertig (December 16, 1900 – March 24, 1975)Brooks 2003, p. 37. was an American civil engineer, in the American-administered Commonwealth of the Philippines, who organized and commanded an American-Filipino guerrilla force on the Jap ...

, who commanded the American-Filipino guerrillas on Mindanao. Hawkins served with the guerrillas for seven months. He led raiding parties in attacks against Japanese forces, before traveling to Australia via submarine in November 1943. Hawkins received the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

for his actions in the Philippines during the period 4 April - 15 November 1943. In 1961, Hawkins authored a book, '' Never Say Die'', on his POW and guerrilla experiences. In 1945, Hawkins was involved in the planning of the U.S. invasion of Japanese-held territory in the Battle of Okinawa. Author Don Bohning states that Hawkins was not involved in planning for the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Post war

Following World War II, he served as a member of the Naval Mission to

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

for three years as adviser to the Venezuelan Marine Corps, before returning to

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilming ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. In September 1950, as Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, he led his battalion ashore at the Battle of Inchon,

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, and later participated in the

Chosin Reservoir The Chosin Reservoir (), formally known as Lake Changjin () is a lake located in Changjin County, North Korea. It is most famously known for being the site of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, which was an important battle in the Korean War. ...

campaign. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions there. In 1955 he was promoted to full colonel, becoming commander of the Amphibious Forces at

Little Creek, Virginia Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

. He served for three years as an instructor on amphibious landings in Marine Corps schools at Quantico.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

On the recommendation of Marine Corps Commandant General

David M. Shoup David Monroe Shoup ( December, 30 1904 – January, 13 1983) was a general of the United States Marine Corps who was awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II, served as the 22nd Commandant of the Marine Corps, and, after retiring, be ...

, Colonel Hawkins was recruited by the CIA which wanted a Marine officer with background in amphibious warfare to help with a project to land some exile troops in Cuba. He was assigned to the Cuba task force on Sept 1, 1960, when CIA Deputy Director of Plans Richard M. Bissell Jr. began to expand the planned operation from a guerrilla infiltration to an amphibious assault. At the CIA, Hawkins was appointed Chief of Paramilitary Operations Western Hemisphere Division Branch 4 (WH/4/PM), reporting to Jacob Esterline, Chief of Western Hemisphere Branch 4 (WH/4). He was already fluent in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, and under his command were Grayston Lynch and William "Rip" Robertson as the CIA representatives in the amphibious landings. ( Col. Stanley W. Beerli, the chief of air operations, reported to Richard Bissell ). From his base in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, he instructed the combatants via radio links relayed via US Navy ships, aiming to defeat Cuban government forces in the conflict. He retired from the Marines in 1965.Wyden (1979)

Footnotes

References

*Bohning, Don. 2005. ''The Castro Obsession: U.S. Covert Operations Against Cuba 1959-1965''. Potomac Books *Hawkins, Jack. "Classified Disaster: The Bay of Pigs Operation Was Doomed by Presidential Indecisiveness and Lack of Commitment." National Review, December 31, 1996, pp. 36–38. https://web.archive.org/web/20110616120320/http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y97/jan97/27disa.html *Grashio, Samuel, Bernard Norling. (1982). ''Return to Freedom: The War Memoirs of Col. Samuel C. Grashio, USAF (Ret.)''. University Press. *Hawkins, Jack. 1961. ''Never Say Die''. Dorrance & Company, Philadelphia (His experiences in the Philippines) *Jones, Howard. 2008. ''Bay of Pigs (Pivotal Moments in American History)''. OUP USA. *Kornbluh, Peter. 1998. ''Bay of Pigs Declassified: The Secret CIA Report on the Invasion of Cuba''. The New Press. New York. *Rodriguez, Juan Carlos. 1999. ''Bay of Pigs and the CIA''. Ocean Press Melbourne. *Wyden, Peter. 1979. ''Bay of Pigs - The Untold Story''. Simon and Schuster. New York.

External links

Lukacs, John D. ''Escape from Davao. The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War.'' New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010

*Bay of Pigs, 40 Years After: Chronology. The National Security Archive. The George Washington University http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/bayofpigs/chron.html *Hawkins, J. Record of paramilitary action against the Castro Government of Cuba of 5 May 61, CIA document no. 0000132097, at
Jack Hawkins' account
of fellow POW while interned at Prison Camp 1 at Cabanatuan, Nueva Eoija, Philippines {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Jack 2013 deaths 1916 births American spies People of the Central Intelligence Agency Military history of the Philippines during World War II American guerrillas of World War II American prisoners of war in World War II United States Marine Corps colonels Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) World War II prisoners of war held by Japan United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II