Air Force Museum
1st Lt. Mary L. Hawkins
Flight nurse Mary Louise Hawkins was caring for 24 patients when their C-47 made a forced landing on Bellona Island on September 24, 1944. One patient suffered a severe airway injury. Hawkins improvised a suction tube using available equipment and kept him alive until help arrived 19 hours later. All her patients survived. She received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Her story brings the history of air evacuation down to a nurse’s preparation, resourcefulness, and sustained care.
In depth
History & service
Hawkins made a suction tube from various items including the inflation tube from a "Mae West." With this contrivance, she kept the man's throat clear of blood until aid arrived 19 hours later. All of her patients survived. For her actions, Hawkins received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
The mission was to bring someone home
Rescue and medical evacuation changed the meaning of aviation's reach. Speed could shorten the time between an injury and treatment. Aircraft could cross terrain that made a ground journey slow or impossible. But the ability to reach a person did not guarantee the ability to recover them. Weather, enemy fire, limited landing space, weight, and the patient's condition shaped every decision.
Rescue depended on a chain of people and equipment. Someone had to locate the survivor, communicate the position, assess the danger, provide protection where necessary, and bring a recovery aircraft to the right place. Medical personnel then worked in an environment that could be noisy, cramped, and poorly suited to care. The aircraft's range and payload mattered, but so did preparation, coordination, and judgment.
The personal equipment in these galleries makes that work concrete. A radio could turn a search into a precise approach. Protective clothing could keep a survivor alive long enough to be found. A helicopter could lift someone from a place with no runway. A transport could carry casualties toward a hospital. These connections span civil and military aviation and link the museums through a shared purpose. Heroism here often means accepting risk in order to reduce another person's danger, while relying on a carefully organized team to make the attempt possible.
