Naval Aviator
Hellcat Ace during World War II, Korean War jet pilot, Blue Angel pilot and commander.
Born in Zavalla, Texas, Arthur R. Hawkinss was a highly decorated World War II Navy fighter pilot who flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat with VF-31. During engagements in the Marshall Islands, Hawkins shot down 14 enemy aircraft, destroyed 39 aircraft on the ground and assisted in sinking a Japanese battleship and ammunition ship. Throughout the Korean War, Captain Hawkins flew 40 combat missions and participated in the first carrier-based jet bombing mission of the war. He twice flew with the Blue Angels Navy Flight Demonstration Team and served as its Commander from 1951 to 1954.