First Lieutenant Hawes was a crew member of "Shady Lady", a B-29A Superfortress Bomber with the 345th Bomber Squadron, 98th Bomber Wing. On 7 May 1951, while on a bombing mission over Pyongyang, North Korea, the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and lost a wing. Several parachutes were seen leaving the plane. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on 31 January 1954. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Hawes was awarded the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.