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Colonel Ronnie D. Hawkings
2000 Distinguished ROTC Alumnus |
Colonel Ronnie D. Hawkins, Jr., is the director of communications and information,
Headquarters Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. He is responsible for establishing and promulgating communications, information and postal policy for the Pacific Air Forces and units in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and at other Air Force locations throughout the Pacific region. He serves as the Chief Information Officer for PACAF.
Colonel Hawkins was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and graduated from San Angelo Central High School in 1973. While attending ASU, Hawkins was the Corps Commander for the ROTC Detachment and ran track for ASU on the 1975, 1976, and 1977 Lone Star Conference Track Champion Teams. He graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Computer Science. He received his commission in 1977, after completing Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps as a Distinguished Graduate. Colonel Hawkins entered active duty in January of 1978 and was promoted to Second Lieutenant the same month. From 1978 to 1981, Hawkins served as the computer systems analyst in the Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. He secured his second promotion as First Lieutenant on January 25, 1980. In 1981, he completed Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama and was a Distinguished Graduate. From 1981 to 1985, Colonel Hawkins was chief of the data automation division with the 96th Bomb Wing and then chief of the Operations Division with the 1993rd Information Systems Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. He was promoted to Captain in January of 1982.
In 1985, Hawkins finished his Master of Science Degree in Management and Human Relations at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. From 1985 to 1988, he was the inspector of the Air Force Communications Command and the executive officer to the Vice Commander of Air Force Communications Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Beginning in June of 1988, he served as commander of Cadet Squadron 24 and then executive officer to the Superintendent, United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While in Colorado, Colonel Hawkins was elevated to the position of Major on March 1, 1989. He was then assigned as a student at the Air Command and Staff College on Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama from July, 1992 through July, 1993. When he was finished at the Air command and Staff College, he received the Distinguished Graduate/Secretary of the Air Force Leadership Award.
From 1993 to 1996, he acted as the support manager for C4 systems and action officer for the Defense Information Systems Network and Integrated Data Systems with J-6, Joint Staff at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He then advanced to the position of Lieutenant Colonel on March 1, 1994. From 1996 to 1997, Hawkins was a student at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. Following his term at Fort McNair's National Defense University, Colonel Hawkins received a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy. In July of 1997, he was appointed commander of the Air Combat Command Computer Systems Squadron at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. In July of 1998, he was reassigned to commander of the Air Combat Command Communications Group at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. While at Langley, Hawkins was commended to the position of Colonel on September 1, 1998. Colonel Hawkins' subsequent assignment was director of command, control, communications, and computer (C4) systems with the Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia from April of 1999 through April of 2000. Beginning in May of 2000, Hawkins operated as the director of communications and information of Headquarters Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii until January of 2001.
Colonel Hawkins has an abundance of awards and decorations to add to his accomplishments. He has earned five medals for Defense Superior Service, Defense Meritorious Service, Air Force Commendation, National Defense Service, Armed Forces Expeditionary, and a significant sixth medal with three oak leaf clusters for Meritorious Service. He has also obtained two awards for Air Force Outstanding Unit and for Air Force Recognition. And he received two notable awards each with one oak leaf cluster for Joint Meritorious Unit and Air Force Organizational Excellence.
Hawkins serves as a Deacon at the Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Honolulu, Hawaii. His wife, the former Marcia Garcia, a native of San Angelo, Texas, also serves as a Deaconess. The Hawkins have two sons, Ronnie III, an Air Force F-16 pilot, and Joshua, a junior AFROTC cadet at Texas Christian University.
As profiled in the 2001 Fall Alumni Magazine.
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