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VFW will name dining hall for Marine veteran

Hometown News: Port Orange, South Daytona, Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach Shores - 7/28/2017

Daytona Beach resident Elmer J. "Hawk" Hawkins Jr., 94, of Daytona Beach shows no sign of slowing down.

The World War II Marine Corps veteran remains active with the VFW, American Legion, Marine Corps League, Cooties and 1st Marine Division National Group of which he is the east coast vice president.

Mr. Hawkins, who was born in Mount Vernon, Ill., in 1923, has been a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars since 1942. He joined VFW Post 3282 in Port Orange in 1996 and has served in every position there, including commander. The post has decided to officially dedicate the banquet hall after him in a public ceremony at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21 at 5810 S. Williamson Blvd. in Port Orange.

Mr. Hawkins credits his father, who was a Marine in World War I and a VFW Commander, with influencing his military passion and service.

"He forged my life for me you might say," he said. "He was a very dedicated veteran."

Mr. Hawkins' father made crosses to put on the courthouse lawn in Mount Vernon of all the World War I veterans that had been killed," he said. "He would run through cemeteries checking for veterans that didn't have headstones and he would order the headstones and we would put them up and I helped him do all of them. I started selling poppies when I was 10 years old walking down the street."

While still in high school, Mr. Hawkins enlisted in the Illinois Reserve Militia. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942. He had secretly enlisted in the Army, but when his father heard about it, he said "Well, I guess you are not man enough to be a Marine," Mr. Hawkins said.

He immediately changed his enlistment to the Marines, and after training, was sent overseas.

Mr. Hawkins described how one ship he was on started taking on water and he had to abandon ship. He was one of the few survivors of Guadalcanal Island in 1942, the most well-known of the Solomon Islands battles in the South Pacific. He detailed stories of being fired upon and seeing bombs around him. He was a radio operator and retired as an E5 sergeant. He contracted malaria while stationed in Australia.

Besides his military service he worked as a federal employee with the Department of Defense for 39 years. He also worked for Motorola when the first television sets came out. He also taught SCUBA diving and has traveled extensively.

He will travel to Camp Pendleton in California in August to assist with election of officers for the 1st Marine Division National Group. He remains active with the VFW Post 3282 Honor Guard, of which he was captain for 15 years.

The VFW Post Commander Joe Rosa said, "He is still active, still involved, if there is anything that needs attention he lets me know and he helps. I can't think of anyone more deserving that has done so much for this post than Mr. Hawkins.

The decision to name the dining hall for him was unanimous, Commander Rosa said. "When I first joined here, when they mentioned Hawk, he was like a legend. He was like beyond a normal person here, the one that everyone went to."

The dining hall naming idea came from one of the younger members, Senior Vice Commander Jimmy "Jay" Adams.

"I respect him so much, I brought it up to name the room after him. As a Marine, as a vet, as everything, I respect him that much. I thought this would be a good thing that we could do for someone who is still with us."

Mr. Hawkins has five siblings. His brothers were all in the service. He has three adult children, eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

"I have had a good life, the Lord has been good to me," he said. "I have had good health most of my life and hope to have it again."

When he is not helping out his various military organizations or traveling around the country, you can find Elmer "Hawk" Hawkins residing on his 41-foot sailboat, "Hawk's Wind Song."