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 or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

employed by the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

for the military planning, training of

Cuban exile A Cuban exile is a person who has been exiled from Cuba. Many Cuban exiles have various differing experiences as emigrants depending on when they emigrated from Cuba, and why they emigrated. The exile of Cubans has been a dominating factor in C ...

s, and the effective military command of forces in the

Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called or after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in April 1961 by the United States of America and the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front ...

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 (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

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

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

and in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he saw service in the

at the

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

and was taken prisoner by Japanese armed forces after the

Battle of Corregidor The Battle of Corregidor (; ), fought on 5–6 May 1942, was the culmination of the Empire of Japan, Japanese Philippines campaign (1941–1942), campaign for the conquest of the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II. The Bat ...

. Initially sent to a prison camp on

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, he was later transferred to another prison camp on

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

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 Imperial Japan, Japanese in World War II. He survived the Bataan Death March and participated in the only successful mass ...

and Austin Shofner. 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 warfare, guerrilla ...

, 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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

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 The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

. Author Don Bohning states that Hawkins was not involved in planning for the

Battle of Iwo Jima The was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, desi ...

Post war

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

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

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

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) 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 ( ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

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

Battle of Inchon The Battle of Inchon (), also called Inchon landing, was an Amphibious warfare, amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The opera ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, and later participated in the

Chosin Reservoir The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Battle of Lake Changjin (), was an important battle in the Korean War. The name "Chosin" is derived from the Japanese pronunciation "''Chōshin'', instead of th ...

campaign. He was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

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, 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. Richard Mervin Bissell Jr. (September 18, 1909 – February 7, 1994) was an American Central Intelligence Agency officer responsible for major projects such as the U-2 spy plane and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. He is seen as one of the most imp ...

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, 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 is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 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