Korean War Legacy Project

Roy Orville Hawthorne

Bio

Roy Orville Hawthorne was born in Ganado, Arizona, in 1926 to a Navajo mother and a White father who owned a trading post on the Navajo reservation. At the age of seventeen, he left high school to join the United States Marine Corps. During the Battle of Okinawa in WWII, he fought on Dakeshi Ridge and relied on the Navajo Code to call in a crucial air strike. He later served in the US Army where he became a paratrooper, attained the rank of Staff Sergeant, and fought in the Korean War. He was wounded in the leg by shrapnel from a mortar round during the Chinese Spring Offensive of 1951, leading to the amputation of his right leg at the knee. Despite this setback, he remained in the Army for several more years after the Korean War. Following his medical retirement, he used the GI Bill to complete seminary school and earn bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees.

Video Clips

Enlisting and Understanding His Mission

Roy Orville Hawthorne recounts how he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1943 at the age of seventeen. He shares he initially wanted to enlist in the “Silent Service” (the submarine force of the United States Navy). He remembers his desire to serve on a submarine originated from reading the novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne. However, he recalls how he was informed at the induction ceremony that all Navajo males were required to be inducted into the US Marine Corps during WWII, per federal legislation. He discusses going to the Navajo Communications School at Camp Pendleton where the mission for Navajo soldiers during WWII was made clear.

Tags: Basic training,Home front,Pride,Weapons

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Maintaining Field Communications in Korea

Roy Orville Hawthorne shares how, after being discharged from the US Marine Corps in 1946, he re-enlisted in the United States Army two years later. He explains that during the Korean War, he served in the infantry and specialized in communications. Despite the sporadic nature of the fighting, he remembers being able to see the enemy on nearby hillsides. His recalls his primary responsibility was maintaining field communications as the enemy aimed to disrupt lines of communication.

Tags: Chinese,Communists,Fear,Front lines,Impressions of Korea,Living conditions,Physical destruction,Prior knowledge of Korea,Weapons

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Encountering the Enemy

Roy Orville Hawthorne shares he has vivid memories of working tirelessly for almost twenty-four hours straight during the Chinese Spring Offensive. He mentions the significant loss of life during this period and the urgent requirement for more soldiers on the front lines. He remembers how on one morning, while passing by a nearby ditch, he came across enemy troops. He shares that he later observed a sudden flash of light which turned out to be caused by enemy mortar fire. He explains he was seriously injured in the attack.

Tags: Chinese,Fear,Front lines,Impressions of Korea,Living conditions,North Koreans,Physical destruction,Weapons

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The Road to Recovery

Roy Orville Hawthorne describes the extent of his injuries from enemy fire. He remembers the lieutenant crying as he offered encouragement at the sight of his wounds. While at the Mash hospital, he recalls a nurse taking his hand and saying, “Chief, you’re going to make it.” He describes traveling by bus to a regular hospital in Korea where he underwent surgery. He remembers spending a year at the Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C., for treatment and therapy for his wounds, including the amputation of his right leg.

Tags: Fear,Front lines,Impressions of Korea,Personal Loss,Physical destruction,Pride,Weapons

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Education is Like a Ladder

Roy Orville Hawthorne shares he utilized the benefits of the GI Bill to attend a Bible Seminary school where he earned a bachelor's and master's degree, followed by a Ph.D. He emphasizes the significance of education by citing Navajo Chief Manuelito's analogy of education being like a ladder which his people must climb to achieve opportunity and happiness. He acknowledges the positive influence of his military service in attaining his professional and personal aspirations.

Tags: G.I. Bill,Home front,Message to Students,Pride

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