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PRIVATE DANIEL F. HAWK was
the son of Emery and Emma Hawk of the Cramer Hill
section of Camden NJ. He was born in January of 1916, the youngest of
13 children. The family had lived on a farm at 768 East State Street
since 1907, but moved shortly after Daniel's birth, as the property had
been acquired for use in the expanding Pavonia railroad switching yard.
The 1930 Census shows the family at 2832 Harrison Avenue. His brother
Amos Hawk was well known as a football player in Camden, playing at the
guard position for the 1936 Class C Champion St. Joseph’s Polish Team,
and for the Cramer Hill Wildcats, a local team.
By 1938 they had moved to 2904 Buren
Avenue. Daniel Hawk was still living with his parents when the 1940
City Directory was compiled. The 1943 Camden City Directory shows Daniel
and Hazel Hawk at 2871 Harrison Avenue. Before going into the Army
Daniel Hawk had lived at 2804 Tyler Avenue in Camden NJ
with his wife Hazel and their two children. An employee of the New York
Shipbuilding Company in Camden, he had been inducted into the Army in
May of 1944 and was sent overseas in November.
Private Hawk served at
Fort Meade MD before joining and going overseas with 99th
Infantry Division. Moving overseas on troop ships, the 99th arrived in
England on October 10, 1944, moved to Le Havre, France on November 3,
then proceeded to Aubel, Belgium to prepare for combat. Its soldiers
first saw action on November 9, 1944, taking over the defense of the sector north of the Roer River
between Schmidt and Monschau. After defensive patrolling, the thinly
dispersed 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance while
probing along their 22 mile sector, December 13.
Three days later, at the
onset of what would become known as the Battle of the Bulge, the 99th
repelled the fierce Von Runstedt attack. Although cut in two and
partially surrounded, the stubborn 99th soldiers defended the crucial
Elsenborn Ridge on the north shoulder of the Bulge against repeated,
violent Germany attacks. Daniel Hawk was reported missing in action on
December 18, 1944. His body was later recovered and he rests at a United
States Military Cemetery in Belgium.
Daniel Hawk was survived by his wife, two children,
parents, and two brothers, Shipfitter Second Class Amos Hawk who was
serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Tuscaloosa, and William, who had
been previously discharged from the Army. He also left by five nephews
and one niece serving in the armed forces, Private James Ulrich USA,
Carpenter’s mate Second Class Frank Ulrich USN, Gunner’s Mate Third
Class Allen Hawk USN, Seaman Recruit Henry Pierce USN, Seaman Recruit
Clarence Pierce USN, and Private Rose Ulrich WAC. |
