Dale Merlin Hansen
December 13, 1922(1922-12-13) – May 11, 1945 (aged 22)
Dale M. Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Hansen, Medal of Honor recipient
Place of birth	Wisner, Nebraska
Place of death	KIA on Okinawa
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1944-1945
Rank	Private
Unit	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 United States Marine who earned his nation's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his outstanding heroism on 7 May 1945 in the fight for Hill 60 on Okinawa. Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other is one of Japan 's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1000 km long which extends southwest from Kyūshū The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A Private is a Soldier of the lowest Military rank (equivalent to NATO Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in 2nd Battalion 1st Marines (2/1 is an Infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Pendleton California consisting of approximately World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar is one of Japan 's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1000 km long which extends southwest from Kyūshū He was killed by enemy sniper fire three days later. READ DISCUSSION PAGE BEFORE MAKING ANY EDITS TO CAPTION BELOW http//en

Early years

Dale Hansen was born in Wisner, Nebraska. Wisner is a city in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1270 at the 2000 census. 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 Marine Corps Reserve on 11 May 1944. The Marine Forces Reserve ( MARFORRES or MFR) (also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve ( USMCR) a part of the United States Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He completed recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, and was then assigned to the Infantry Training Battalion at Camp Pendleton, California, where he underwent four weeks of infantry indoctrination and two weeks of training with the Browning Automatic Rifle. Recruit training is the initial Indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel Marine Corps Recruit Depot (Commonly referred to as M-Crud or MCRD San Diego is a United States military installation in San Diego California. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists The BAR (short for Browning Automatic Rifle is a family of American 7 With that weapon he turned in a score of 175 to become an Expert Automatic Rifleman.

Private Hansen sailed for the Pacific theater on 12 November 1944, with a replacement draft, and the following month, joined Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, at Pavuvu in the Russell Islands. The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO was the World War II military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it a geographic scope Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 2nd Battalion 1st Marines (2/1 is an Infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Pendleton California consisting of approximately See also Russell Island. The Russell Islands are two important small islands as well as several Islets of volcanic origin in the There, he underwent "bazooka" training before sailing with the 1st Marine Division for maneuvers at Banika Island and Guadalcanal in February 1945. The bazooka is a man-portable Anti-armor rocket launcher made famous during World War II. The 1st Marine Division is the oldest largest (active duty and most decorated division in the United States Marine Corps representing a combat-ready force Guadalcanal (local name Isatabu) is a 2510- Square mile (6500- km²) Island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon

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, 1 April 1945. is one of Japan 's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1000 km long which extends southwest from Kyūshū Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar 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 11 May 1945 in the Wana-Dakeshi Ridge fighting. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar

The Medal of Honor was presented to Pvt Hansen's parents on 30 May 1946, by the officer in charge of the Midwestern Recruiting Division as part of Wisner's Memorial Day observance. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (on May in)

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]

Medal of Honor citation

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

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 Ryūkyū Chain, 7 May 1945. The Ryukyu Islands, in Japanese called the (literally Southwest Islands are a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Cool and courageous in combat, Private Hansen unhesitatingly took the initiative during a critical stage of the action and, armed with a rocket launcher, crawled to an exposed position where he attacked and destroyed a strategically located hostile pillbox. A shoulder-launched missile weapon is a Weapon that fires a Projectile at a target, yet is small enough to be carried by a single person and fired while With his weapon subsequently destroyed by enemy fire, he seized a rifle and continued his one-man assault. Reaching the crest of a ridge, he leaped across, opened fire on six Japanese and killed four before his rifle jammed. Attacked by the remaining two Japanese, he beat them off with the butt of his rifle and then climbed back to cover. Promptly returning with another weapon and a supply of grenades, he fearlessly advanced, destroyed a strong mortar position and annihilated eight more of the enemy. A mortar is a muzzle-loading Indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities short ranges and high-arcing ballistic trajectories 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. The United States Department of the Navy was established by an Act of Congress on April 30 1798 to provide administrative and technical support and civilian leadership

/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. Camp Hansen is a United States Marine Corps base located in Okinawa, Japan. This article is about a US Marine Corps base For other uses see Camp Butler (disambiguation. Hansen.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award in the US military. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

Further reading

• Alexander, Colonel Joseph H. , USMC (Retired) (1996). The Final Campaign:Marines in the Victory on Okinawa, Marines in World War II Commemorative Series. Washington, D. C. : Marine Corps Historical Center, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on 2008-02-03. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states