Hawkins, Patrick Christopher
Male
Verified U.S. Army Sergeant Patrick Christopher Hawkins, 25, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was killed by hostile fire on October 6, 2013, in Zhari District, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Patrick Christopher Hawkins was born on December 24, 1987. He grew up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Carlisle High School in 2006. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2010. Hawkins volunteered for the 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite special operations unit, and was assigned as a Ranger Medic to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was promoted to sergeant in 2012.
On the night of October 5-6, 2013, Sergeant Hawkins was part of a joint U.S.-Afghan force conducting a combat operation in Zhari District, Kandahar Province. The unit was clearing a compound suspected of housing a Taliban improvised explosive device (IED) cell. According to U.S. military reports, the force came under intense small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. During the engagement, an IED detonated, killing Hawkins and three other American soldiers. He was 25 years old.
Hawkins was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2013, the conflict had entered a phase focused on counterinsurgency and training Afghan forces, with special operations units frequently conducting night raids against Taliban networks in districts like Zhari.
His body was returned to the United States, and a funeral service was held at St. Patrick Church in Carlisle on October 18, 2013. He was buried with full military honors at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pennsylvania. The U.S. Army posthumously awarded Hawkins the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device, the Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Sergeant Hawkins is remembered by his unit and community for his role as a medic dedicated to caring for fellow Rangers. In 2014, a memorial stone was dedicated in his honor at the Veterans Memorial Courtyard in Carlisle. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Pennsylvania Military Museum.
Explore Further
Sergeant Hawkins was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
