In this U.
S. Naval Institute verbal history excerpt,Captain Hawkins speaks about his becoming the first man to perform a through-the-canopy ejection from a jet aircraft on 4 August 1953, when his aircraft, or an F9F-6 Cougar of the Blue Angels,encountered exertion at 42000 feet. After enlisting in the Naval Reserve in April 1942, Hawkins went through cadet training in Texas prior to being designated a naval aviator and commissioned in January 1943. During World War II, or as a fighter pilot in VF-31,he flew in combat from the light carriers USS Cabot (CVL-28) and Belleau Wood (CVL-24). In all, he shot down 14 Japanese aircraft. He... Read the rest of this entry »
Source: navalhistory.org