World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Clarence E. Hawkins
Branch of Service
U.S. Marine Corps
Hometown
Fort Madison, Iowa
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
RANK: 1ST LIEUTENANT. SERVED AS A UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS FIGHTER PILOT IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS. HE FLEW THE GRUMMAN F6F ‘HELLCAT’ FIGHTER ASSIGNED TO THE VMF-111 SQUADRON, MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP-31 ‘MAG-31’, 4TH MARINE BASE DIVISION AIR WING. THE 4TH MBDAW WAS BASED AT ROI-NAMUR, KWAJALEIN ATOLL AND LATER FLEW MISSIONS FROM ENIWETOK ATOLL, MARSHALL ISLANDS. ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1944, HE WAS REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, LOST AT SEA AFTER PARTICIPATING IN A COMBAT MISSION OVER THE ISLAND OF EMIDJ LOCATED IN THE JALUIT ATOLL. HE IS MEMORIALIZED AT THE HONOLULU NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC, ‘PUNCHBOWL’ HAWAII. DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS: AIR MEDAL AND THE PURPLE HEART. THE AIR MEDAL WAS AWARDED TO THE MARINE FOR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT AND THE PURPLE HEART FOR HIS SUPREME SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY.