HAWLEY-DAVID

Full Biography

The Headquarters Staff and over 3,000 members of the New York Naval Militia (NYNM) sponsored this Navy Log entry on behalf of Captain NYNM (retired) and Commander USNR (retired) Hawley to commemorate his retirement from 41 years of combined naval service on 23 May 2023 and extraordinary contributions to the nation as well as his State.  CAPT Hawley was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy after graduating with a Master’s in Biology from the University of Bridgeport in 1982 and attended Flight School in Pensacola, FL, where he trained in both fixed and rotary wing aircraft and received his Wings of Gold as an “Unrestricted” Aviator.  Thereafter, his two Caribbean and two Mediterranean tours featured his selection as the Pilot in Command of the Navy’s 1986 "Search and Rescue Crew of the Year" for the at-sea rescue of seven USS Yorktown Sailors swept overboard in high seas in the Aegean Sea.  He additionally supported the evacuation of Subic Bay Philippines after Mt Pinatubo erupted and the liberation of Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm while serving aboard USS Peleliu (LHA-5).  Captain Hawley left active duty and joined the USNR and New York Naval Militia (NYNM), which is a Federally recognized State Defense Force, Naval component of the NY National Guard, and direct predecessor of the USNR, in January of 1994.  His reserve assignments included serving as Training Officer, Administration Officer, Executive Officer, and ultimately Command Duty Officer at US Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, VA, before retiring from the USNR in November 2010.  He was subsequently promoted to Captain in the NYNM in 2014, which allows physically fit members to continue serving until age 68, and selected to serve as the full-time civilian Director and military Deputy Commander of the NYNM.  During his NYNM tenure to date, he has provided the Leadership and Guidance needed to activate NYNM members to State Active Duty in support of numerous operations and exercises, including Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Lee, Winter Debris Clearances, Lake Ontario Flooding, Buffalo Snowstorms, and the extended operations of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Asylum Migrant Support missions.  His numerous NY State military awards include the prestigious NYS Conspicuous Service Medal which he received upon his military retirement from the NYNM in 2023.  He continues serving as the full-time civilian Executive Officer of the NYNM and has been largely responsible for increasing NYNM membership from just over 2,600 in 2019 to more than 3,030 Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen in 2023, activating an unprecedented more than 460 members at once to State Active Duty in support of OPERTATIONS COVID 19 and ASYLUM SEEKER SUPPORT, and adding a new capabilities to the NYNM's Military Emergency Boat Service and statewide fleet of 11 patrol boats.  Nicknamed "Day-to-Day Dave" (D2D Dave) by NYSDMNA Director of Civilian Personnel and retired NYARNG Brigadier General Pat Center in 2023 due to his daily support of the NYNM, no one has been more important to the organization and readiness of the NYNM.  

Promotion to Captain:  Photo taken after then Commander Hawley's promotion to Captain Hawley in 2014 by NYNM Commander Major General Robert Wolf.

Afloat on LI Sound:  Traversing from Jones Beach to Manhattan during a JTF Empire Shield visit with the Adjutant General and MEBS Commander CAPT Don McKnight on 16 August 2023.to rendeszvous with helicopter transport back to DMNA HQ.