Chuck Hawkins Pt. 1

Описание: Chuck Hawkins was born in Carmel, California, on August 1st, 1946. His father served in the Army when Hawkins was young, and once his father was out of the service they relocated to Pennsylvania, near Penn State. Shortly after this, Hawkins’ parents received an offer to become teachers in what was then the territory of Alaska, in a remote area. The Hawkins family ended up in Ninilchik, Alaska, following this move, a small settlement with Russian roots. Hawkins grew up hunting and fishing, with a childhood relatively similar to that of a more typical American small town, just in a different setting. Hawkins initially intended on attending a traditional university and serving in the military afterward, but decided to apply to West Point after being enticed by the financial benefits of military institutions among other things. Hawkins went through a traditional West Point schooling without any complications or exceptional difficulties, and decided to go through Ranger school after his infantry basic, which he credits with teaching him very valuable skills. Hawkins was initially assigned to Crailsheim, Germany, in January of 1969, where he primarily engaged in field training as a demonstration with the Soviets in mind, as well as participated in various NATO training exercises across Europe. Hawkins finished his one-year tour of Germany in January of 1970 and was sent home, but shortly afterward left for Vietnam in late February of 1970, initially joining the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Hawkins initially served as a platoon leader within Charlie company, where he spent a significant amount of time on Rocket Ridge and the surrounding areas conducting a variety of activities. After participating in some of the early battles on Ripcord as a platoon leader Hawkins was promoted to company commander, tasked with commanding Alpha company. As company commander Hawkins helped take and defend Hill 805 alongside Delta company, continuing to operate in the area after the initial capture.