 KIA October 6, 2013 Operation Enduring Freedom Assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia
SGT Patrick Christopher Hawkins died October 6, 2013, from injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device (IED) while conducting combat operations in Zhari District, Afghanistan. Patrick was moving to the aid of a fallen comrade alongside SPC Cody Patterson when they were both killed. Patrick is survived by his wife, Brittanie M. Hawkins, and his parents, Roy and Shelia Hawkins. Patrick attended Carlisle High School and enjoyed hanging out at the skate park with his friends on the grounds of Carlisle Barracks, PA. He graduated high school in 2007 and those who knew Patrick described him as caring, funny and upbeat. Patrick spent three years studying culinary arts part time at Harrisburg Area Community College following high school. Patrick decided to enlist in the Army in 2010 and even though it was a complete surprise to his parents, they supported Patrick’s decision to follow in the footsteps of his father, Lt. Col. Roy Hawkins, who retired from the U.S. Army after 30 years of service in 2008. As a Ranger, SGT Hawkins selflessly lived his life for others and distinguished himself as a member of the Army’s premier direct action raid force. The 75th Ranger Regiment commander described Patrick as a “man of character and commitment” and “had a limitless future.” The 3rd Ranger Battalion commander stated that Patrick was a “brave and incredibly talented Ranger” and that the actions of the night of his death “were in keeping with the epitome of the Ranger Creed: ‘I will never leave a fallen comrade.’” SGT Hawkins was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Purple Heart. SGT Hawkins turned 25 just five days before he was killed and was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan. SGT Patrick Hawkins was 25 years old from Carlisle, PA. Original portrait was presented November 15, 2015 to his family and friends at a special memorial event hosted by Lead the Way Fund in New York, NY.
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