Hawkeye Pierce

Lore & Background

Hawkeye was born and raised in New England, often citing Crabapple Cove, Maine, as his family's summer home. His father, Daniel Pierce, graduated medical school in 1912 and settled there. Hawkeye received his nickname from The Last of the Mohicans, the only book his father ever read. His lifelong claustrophobia originated from being trapped in a collapsed foxhole during the war. As an adult, he interfered with his father's engagement to a woman named Mildred, not as a child. He attended Androscoggin College, where he was non-athletic, unlike his literary counterpart who played football. Before the war, he had a relationship with nurse Carlye Breslin, but they were not married. Drafted in 1950, he specialized in cardiothoracic surgery, allowing him to become Chief Surgeon over Major Burns. He refuses military red tape, rarely wearing rank insignia or polishing his boots, and often wears a bathrobe instead of uniform. Despite being entitled to numerous decorations like the Purple Heart and Legion of Merit, he never displays them.

Reader's Guide

Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce serves as Chief Surgeon at the 4077th M*A*S*H unit from early Season 1 onward. Portrayed by Alan Alda, he is known for his disdain of military protocol, often refusing to wear rank insignia or carry a sidearm. He drinks heavily—three times more than average daily—and favors 12-year-old Scotch and Seagrams Canadian whisky. His medical expertise in cardiothoracic surgery distinguishes him from other officers. He assumes temporary command when Colonels Blake or Potter are absent. While he clashes with authority, he maintains deep respect for his patients and fellow staff. In the novel, he acts as a moral center chiding Trapper John, but in the series, he is a bachelor ladies' man who once faked marriage to "Vanessa Pierce" in episode 1/23 "Ceasefire." His journey concludes with a return home to Maine, depicted in the sequels M*A*S*H Goes to Maine and M*A*S*H Mania.

Did You Know?

• In the episode "Bottle Fatigue," Klinger decides to buy stock in Seagrams due to Hawkeye's heavy consumption of their Canadian whisky.
• In the series finale, Hawkeye admits to Dr. Sidney Freedman that a Korean woman smothered her own baby, a memory he had repressed.