Stringfellow Hawke

Stringfellow Hawke (portrayed by American actor Jan-Michael Vincent) is a fictional character on the American action-adventure television series Airwolf (1984-1987). During the series' first three seasons, Hawke is its central character. A freelance agent of a division of the CIA known as the F.I.R.M., Hawke serves as pilot and custodian of the prototype supersonic attack helicopter for which the show is named.

Born in 1950, Vietnam War veteran Stringfellow Hawke lives in seclusion with his Bluetick Coonhound "Tet," named for the 'Nam action the Tet Offensive, at a log cabin by a California lake. When Hawke was twelve, he and his parents were in a boating accident on the lake. He was rescued by his brother Saint John, but their parents drowned. Beginning with this incident, Hawke grows to believe that anyone he loves is destined to die tragically, a belief that subsequent events only serve to reinforce. The orphaned Hawke brothers are raised by Dominic Santini (Ernest Borgnine), a friend and fellow military aviator of their father's, and an acknowledged but unexplained exception to Hawke's "curse."

Upon reaching adulthood, both Saint John and Stringfellow enlist in the U.S. Army and are dispatched to the front lines of the Vietnam War. Both Hawke brothers prove their valor and piloting skills during the conflict. In 1969, tragedy occurs again when Saint John is separated from his brother and the rest of their unit during a mission. Stringfellow was hospitalized prior to the fall of Saigon and lost contact with his Vietnamese girlfriend, Nhi Huong. Saint John is listed as M.I.A. in Southeast Asia, causing Stringfellow to further withdraw from society.