A principal character of the series, where between long sessions of treating wounded patients, he is found making wisecracks, drinking heavily, carousing, womanizing, and pulling pranks on the people around him, especially Frank Burns and "Hot Lips" Houlihan. In the novel, he serves as a moral center and author's alter ego , chiding Trapper John for calling Major Houlihan "Hot Lips", which Pierce never does.
In the television series, he becomes the Chief Surgeon of the unit early in the first season. Pierce was born and raised in New England , most often mentioning Crabapple Cove, Maine, as a place that his family had a summer home and with a few references primarily in the early seasons to Vermont. His father graduated from medical school and settled as a doctor in Crabapple Cove in His mother is deceased and he has a sister like Vermont, they are mentioned in some early episodes and then never again; although, in season 4, he says he was an only child , and he is close to his father.
He was given the nickname "Hawkeye" by his father, Benjy Sr. Although he had a rather unremarkable boyhood, by his own admission he had had several experiences he never forgot. Once when young, he fell overboard in a pond and nearly drowned as a result of a cruel practical joke, leaving him with lifelong claustrophobia. When he was 14, his father was angered to find him in bed with a girl and smoking a cigarette.
When he was 12, he discovered his father was dating a female bookkeeper; to keep his father's attention all to himself, Hawkeye selfishly ruined their relationship so they couldn't marry.
He attended the fictional Androscoggin College. In the book and the film, Hawkeye had played football in college; in the series, he is non-athletic. After completing his medical residency possibly in Chicago; he has a familiarity with the city that implies extended time spent there, e. In he was drafted into the U. He became Chief Surgeon instead of Burns because Hawkeye specialized in cardiothoracic surgery in addition to general surgery, whereas Burns was only qualified in general surgery.
