Springfield Resident Col. Henry “Hawk” Ruth III Selected for 2027 Army Aviation Hall of Fame

SPRINGFIELD, TENNESSEE: (Smokey Barn News) – Springfield resident and “Champion of Fort Campbell,” Colonel (Retired) Henry C. “Hawk” Ruth III, has been selected for the 2027 Army Aviation Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifetime of service to the Army Aviation community and his extensive achievements throughout a 28-year military career.

The national award represents the pinnacle of a career for an Army aviator.

The recognition brings credit not only to Colonel Ruth but also to Springfield, Robertson County, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), of which he is a “plank holder.”

Colonel Ruth was born July 22, 1948, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He attended the University of Tennessee at Martin on a four-year football scholarship, graduating in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education.

He began his military service on May 22, 1970.

Colonel Ruth is rated in five fixed-wing and five rotary-wing aircraft, with more than 3,500 flight hours, including over 530 hours flown using Night Vision Goggles (NVGs).

He is currently serving his 17th year as president of the Air Assault Chapter of the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA). This is his second chapter presidency.

Colonel Ruth retired from military service on May 31, 1998. He and his wife, Peggy, now reside in Springfield, Tennessee.

The Army Aviation Hall of Fame ceremony will take place during the AAAA Summit in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 6, 2027.