Now I know why they shoot people at sunrise — who wants to live at six in the morning?
— Hawkeye
Hawkeye
Born in the little town of Crabapple Cove in Maine, Benjamin Franklin Pierce was the only child of Dr. Daniel Pierce and his wife. His father, whose favorite book was Washington Irving's The Last of the Mohicans, nicknamed his son "Hawkeye" after a character in the book. Hawkeye's mother died when he was ten years old, and he was subsequently raised by his father.
Following in his father's footsteps, Hawkeye studied to become a surgeon. He succeeded in becoming a very talented surgeon, although his main goal was to be a local family doctor. During med school, Hawkeye became close friends with John "Trapper" McIntyre, a fellow medical student whose tastes for women and alchohol were very much in line with Hawkeye's. At the outbreak of the Korean War (1950-1953), both men were drafted into the U.S. Army, and by coincidence both ended up working in the 4077th M*A*S*H unit. Together, they continued their practical jokes and romantic exploits, until Trapper was sent home. Trapper's replacement, B.J. Hunnicut, also became a close friend of Hawkeye's.
The war had a profound effect on Hawkeye. To keep his sanity amid the chaos about him, he relied on his sense of humor, often playing practical jokes on his co-workers. Alcohol became an escape for him, and he even went so far as to build a crude still in his tent to produce his own (reputedly foul-tasting but undeniably intoxicating) booze. Beneath the joking exterior, however, Hawkeye's sensitive soul and conscience were taking a beating from the horrors of the war. A declared pacifist, he refused to use a gun, even when under orders and in defense of his own life. The grim surroundings eventually took their toll, and Hawkeye suffered a temporary nervous breakdown just before the end of the war.
Very little is known of Hawkeye's life after the war. It can only be assumed that, as he had always planned to do, he returned home to Crabapple Cove and settled down to a quiet life as a rural doctor.