Ed Hawley was born on Jun 16, 1944, in Mobile, Alabama. He was commissioned a 2d Lt in the U.S. Air Force through the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Alabama on May 28, 1967, and went on active duty beginning June 20, 1967. He attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Craig AFB, Alabama, from June to August 1967, and then attended Undergraduate Navigator Training at Mather AFB, California, from October 1967 to July 1968. Lt Hawley next attended Navigator Bombardier Training at Mather AFB from July 1968 to February 1969, followed by B-52 Stratofortress Combat Crew Training at Castle AFB, California, from March to June 1969. His first assignment was as a B-52 Navigator with the 20th Bomb Squadron at Carswell AFB, Texas, from June 1969 to March 1971, and during this time he flew 81 combat missions while on Temporary Duty to Southeast Asia from September 1969 to March 1970. Captain Hawley then attended Weapon Systems Officer training and F-4 Phantom II Combat Crew Training at MacDill AFB, Florida, from March to September 1971, followed by service as an F-4 Weapon Systems Officer with the 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron at Ubon Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from November 1971 to January 1972. His next assignment was as an F-4 Weapon Systems Officer with the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Udorn Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from January 1972 until he was forced to eject from his stricken F-4 over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on February 17, 1972. After spending 362 days in captivity, Captain Hawley was released during Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and his final assignment was at Eglin AFB, Florida, where he left active duty on March 31, 1976. Ed Hawley died on November 9, 2017, and was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Alabama.