World War II Honoree

DeVere Earl Hansen

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Idaho Falls, Idaho

Honored By

Trevor J. Hansen

Relationship

Grandson

IN JANUARY 1942 HE WAS DRAFTED INTO THE U.S. ARMY. AFTER BEING DRAFTED HE REPORTED TO SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH AND THEN ONTO CAMP GRANT, ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS. HE SPENT ABOUT 15 WEEKS AT CAMP GRANT RECEIVING INFANTRY AND SOME MEDICAL TRAINING. DURING THIS TIME HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT HIS ASSIGNMENT WOULD BE. IN APRIL 1942 HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO PATTERSON FIELD, WRIGHT FIELD, OHIO. HERE HE RECEIVED MORE MEDICAL TRAINING AND WAS ASSIGNED AS AN ARMY AIR FORCE FLYING MEDIC. A MONTH LATER HE WAS AGAIN TRANSFERRED TO NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA WHERE HE MET UP WITH THE REST OF HIS OUTFIT, THE 20TH AIR DEPOT GROUP (HEADQUARTERS SQUADRON). IN MID-NOVEMBER 1942 HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO CAMP KILMER, NEW JERSEY TO PREPARE TO GO OVERSEAS. THEY PREPARED VEHICLES FOR TRANSPORT AND LOADED THEM ON BOATS. ON DECEMBER 25, 1942 HE ARRIVED IN ALGERIA. HE WAS STATIONED AT ONE OF THE LARGEST AIRFIELDS IN NORTH AFRICA. WHILE THERE HE DROVE AN AMBULANCE AND WAS AN X-RAY TECHNICIAN. HE WOULD DRIVE OUT TO WERE PLANES HAD CRASHED AND PICKUP THE INJURED AND TRANSPORT THEM BACK TO THE BASE. FROM THERE IF THEY WERE BAD ENOUGH THEY WOULD FLY THEM OUT TO A LARGE HOSPITAL. THEY HAD TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE AMBULANCE BECAUSE THE LOCALS WOULD COME ALONG AND STEAL ITEMS OUT OF THEM. IN JUNE 1942 HIS UNIT WAS TRANSFERRED TO ITALY. WHILE STATIONED IN ITALY HE CONTINUED AS A MEDIC MOSTLY WORKING ON PILOTS AND OTHER MILITARY PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN THE ARMY AIR FORCE. ON MAY 8, 1945 V-E DAY, RECEIVED ORDERS TO RETURN TO THE U.S. FOR 30 DAYS. HAD THE OPTION OF GOING TO THE U.S. FOR THE 30 DAYS AND THEN BE SENT TO JAPAN OR STAY AND GO ON TO GERMANY TO HELP WITH THE MOP-UP. HE CHOSE TO GO TO THE U.S. AFTER THE 30 DAYS LEAVE WAS UP HE WAS STATIONED IN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA PROCESSING OTHER SOLDIERS COMING AND GOING, WHILE HE WAITED TO BE SENT TO JAPAN. ON AUGUST 6, 1945 THE ENOLA GAY RELEASED ITS SINGLE ATOMIC BOMB OVER HIROSHIMA. THEN ON AUGUST 9, 1945 ANOTHER B-29 RELEASED THE SECOND ATOMIC BOMB OVER NAGASAKI. ON AUGUST 14, 1945, PRESIDENT TRUMAN ANNOUNCED JAPAN’S UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. BECAUSE THE WAR HAD ENDED HE WAS BACK IN IDAHO FALLS BY OCTOBER 1945 WHERE HE WORKED IN A POTATO WAREHOUSE ALL WINTER.