Anthony Hawkins
Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps

On 28 March 1967, Lance Corporal Anthony Hawkins was serving with A Company, 7th Engineer Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, III Marine Amphibious Force in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam.

On that day, LCpl Hawkins was in a training class being conducted for 12 members of his platoon by their Platoon Sergeant, SSgt Jackie Kinslow. The subject of the class was “How to disarm the M-16 “Bouncing Betty” Anti-Personnel Mine.” This squad from 2ndLt McCarty's platoon (he was also sitting in on the class) was being trained in their company area to properly orient them for a new mission they were about to be assigned.

The squad was about to relieve another combat engineer squad that had been clearing a minefield. The minefield had originally been installed by U. S. forces around the Danang Airfield early in the war. lt had to be removed to allow for expansion of the airbase infrastructure to accommodate additional aviation units arriving shortly. The minefield consisted of M-16 “Bouncing Betty” mines. The mines had been rigged so that when the three pronged firing device was activated the mine would be projected upward 8 to 10 feet before exploding and sending shrapnel out in all directions. The platoon sergeant had removed a portion of the firing device of the mine he was using for demonstration purposes, but this had not fully inactivated the mine.

At 08:20 on the morning of 28 March, the live mine exploded, blowing off the platoon sergeant’s right arm. SSgt Kinslow survived because he was not in the killing area "cone" of the mine. The other 12 Marines * in the class were killed by multiple fragmentation wounds. The classroom where he died was in Alpha Company’s Command Post (AT 948707) on the Tuy Loan River in Quang Nam Province about 5 kilometers southwest of the Danang Airfield.

* The other 12 Marines killed were:

● 2ndLt Glenn M. McCarty [Honoree Record ID 263364]
● Cpl Daniel R. Laird [Honoree Record ID 259296]
● Cpl Ronald W. Porter [Honoree Record ID 271159]
● Cpl Glenn W. Shafer [Honoree Record ID 276600]
● Cpl Howard S. Stevens [Honoree Record ID 279600]
● Cpl Verrell D. Stiles [Honoree Record ID 279759]
● LCpl Thomas C. Bekiempis [Honoree Record ID 234040]
● LCpl Stanley Davidheiser, Jr. [Honoree Record ID 242569]
● LCpl Larry C. Dye [Honoree Record ID 244874]
● LCpl Eugene J. Payne lll [Honoree Record ID 269673]
● LCpl Don L. Schockley [Honoree Record ID 277049]
● PFC Otis R. Ellis, Jr. [Honoree Record ID 245393]

Medals and Awards

Combat Action Ribbon
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal

Honors

The name Anthony Hawkins is located on Panel 17E Line 62 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Burial

Lance Corporal Anthony Hawkins is buried at Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, NJ, in Section V, Site 1178.