Family, friends, unit remember fighter pilot

MADISON, Wis. — Maj. Durwood “Hawk” Jones was remembered as a kind, humble, loving, courageous and intelligent man during a memorial service April 17 at the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, National Guard Bureau director, joined senior Wisconsin National Guard leaders, Wisconsin Air National Guard members and family and friends at the memorial, which concluded with a “missing man formation” flyover by pilots from the 115th Fighter Wing and the Oregon Air National Guard’s 123rd Fighter Squadron.

Jones, an F-16 pilot who went by the nickname of “Rocky” and the call sign “Hawk,” died Dec. 8, 2020 when his aircraft crashed in Hiawatha National Park in Michigan’s upper peninsula during a training flight. No new information is available concerning the crash, which remains under investigation.

“Today I have the honor and challenge of opening a tribute to a truly remarkable person,” said Lt. Col. Ryan…