
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Howard Hawkins left a legacy of service for his country. He joined the Coast Guard in 1962 and spent four years in uniform before joining the Central Intelligence Agency, but his true legacy was as a good husband and father.
Hawkins’ family gathered at the Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery on May 9, 2025, to say a final goodbye. Reflecting on Hawkin’s life, U.S. Navy Chaplain (Lt.) Brandon Greene recited the poem, “Be a Good Man Not a Great Man,” with its concluding stanzas about good men:
They have no need to take anything from others.
They smile always and they can always sleep at night.
Their only wish is for others.
Once the Coast Guard honor guard folded the flag they held over Hawkin’s urn, Seaman Joshua Duran presented it to Howard’s wife, Gail Hawkins. “I was just trying to hold it together,” she said after the service.
Gail said her husband joined the Coast Guard for two reasons: It had a real-time mission and he loved being on the water. “He and his parents actually lived on a sailboat,” she said, “and the mission of the Coast Guard is helping people.”
Gail, who married Howard after he retired, did not know much about his service. However, his son, James Hawkins, recalled his father teaching him about the sea and encouraging him to become a Marine.
Hawkins raised his children on the water and taught them about seamanship. “I knew how to navigate channels,” James said. “He always taught me ‘red right returning’ (a mnemonic for navigating channels) and what all the buoys meant.”
When James wanted to join the U.S. Marine Corps, his father recommended the U.S. Naval Academy and helped him fill out the application. After graduating from the academy and commissioning into the Marine Corps, James wanted to attend flight school but knew nothing about aircraft, so his father paid for private flight lessons. “That was smart of him,” said James, “because it never would have occurred to me to take civilian flying lessons.” James finished his career as a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel.
Gail came away from the funeral service impressed with the sincerity everyone showed her family. “My husband wanted to be here,” she said, “and I just really appreciate how caring everybody was.”