Dale M. Hansen

Dale Merlin Hansen
Dale Merlin Hansen
	2nd Battalion 1st Marines
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Okinawa †;
Awards	Medal of Honor; Purple Heart
Other work	Farmer

Private Dale Merlin Hansen (December 13, 1922 – May 11, 1945) was a

Okinawa. He was killed by enemy sniper

fire three days later.

Early years

Dale Hansen was born in Wisner, Nebraska. While attending the schools of Cuming County, he helped out on the family farm, and after graduating from high school in Wisner in 1940, he worked full-time on the farm.

Marine Corps service

Hansen was inducted into the

Browning Automatic Rifle

. With that weapon he turned in a score of 175 to become an Expert Automatic Rifleman.

Private Hansen sailed for the

1st Marine Division for maneuvers at Banika Island and Guadalcanal

in February 1945.

Late that March, after a few more days back at Pavuvu, the division left for

Okinawa where Pvt Hansen landed with his unit on Easter Sunday

, April 1, 1945. The action which brought him the Medal of Honor occurred in the battle for Hill 60 on the southern part of the island where his determination and total disregard of personal danger helped his unit take a well-defended enemy position.

Pvt Hansen was killed by a Japanese sniper on May 11, 1945, in the Wana-Dakeshi Ridge fighting.

The Medal of Honor was presented to Hansen's parents on May 30, 1946, by the officer in charge of the Midwestern Recruiting Division as part of Wisner's Memorial Day observance.

Private Hansen was initially buried in the 1st Marine Division Cemetery on Okinawa, but his remains were returned to the United States in 1948 for burial in Wisner Cemetery in Wisner, Nebraska.^[1]

Awards

Medal of Honor
Purple Heart
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

PRIVATE DALE M. HANSEN
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company E, Second Battalion, First Marines, First Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the

grenades, he fearlessly advanced, destroyed a strong mortar position and annihilated eight more of the enemy. In the forefront of battle throughout this bitterly waged engagement, Private Hansen, by his indomitable determination, bold tactics and complete disregard of all personal danger, contributed essentially to the success of his company's mission and to the ultimate capture of this fiercely defended outpost of the Japanese Empire. His great personal valor in the face of extreme peril reflects the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service

.

/S/ HARRY S. TRUMAN

Posthumous honors

Camp Hansen, one of the ten Marine Corps camps on Okinawa comprising Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, is named in honor of Pvt. Hansen.

In 1967, a three-tiered display was commissioned by the Marine Corps and given to the city of Wisner, Nebraska, Hansen's hometown. It features an oil painting of Hansen wearing his Medal of Honor, a brass plaque recognizing his achievements, and a reproduction of the citation honoring Hansen. It is on display at Wisner-Pilger High School.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

^ "Dale Merlin Hansen". HomeofHeroes.com. Retrieved February 3, 2008.

"Private Dale Merlin Hansen, USMC". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on October 31, 2006.
"Medal of Honor — Pvt Dale M. Hansen (Medal of Honor citation)". Marines Awarded the Medal of Honor. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on February 22, 2007.