Jack Hawkins (U.S. Marine Corps officer)
| Jack Hawkins | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Colonel Frank |
| Born | October 25, 1916 Roxton, Texas |
| Died | May 17, 2013 (aged 96) Fredericksburg, Virginia |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1939–1965 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | 1st Battalion 1st Marines |
| Battles/wars | Bay of Pigs Invasion |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star |
Jack L. Hawkins (October 25, 1916, Roxton, Texas – May 17, 2013 in Fredericksburg, Virginia) was a United States Marines Corps Colonel employed by the CIA for the military planning, training of Cuban exiles, and the effective military command of forces in the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in April 1961. Hawkins was known by the alias John Haskins.
Jack Hawkins graduated as a second lieutenant from the United States Naval Academy. In 1939, he attended the Marine Corps Basic School for officers, and then served with the Fourth Marines in Shanghai and in the Philippines when the regiment was transferred there in late 1941.
During World War II, he saw service in the Philippines at the Battle of Bataan and was taken prisoner by Japanese armed forces after the Battle of Corregidor. Initially sent to a prison camp on Luzon, he was later transferred to another prison camp on Mindanao 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. 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 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.
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