Lt. Hawkins Brew

Tarawa, Japan, was hell. Littered with Japanese machine guns and pillboxes, Lt. Hawkins led his platoon onto the beaches of death with sheer guts. A one-man army, Hawkins charged pillbox after pillbox, crawling through bullets and evading death. He destroyed six of them single-handedly before running out of ammo. Wounded but undeterred, he took out a seventh with grenades. Refusing orders to retreat: “I’m not doing it, sir! I came here to kill Japs, not to go home." His final stand was characterized by Disbelief, courage, and Persistence. That night, William Hawkins died on the battlefield with blood and honor.