World War II Honoree

Jay S. Hansen

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Declo, Idaho

Honored By

Family & Friends

Sometime after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, HE enlisted into the U.S. Army Air Corps and went on to train and serve with the 424th Squadron, 307th Heavy Bomb Group, 2nd Air Force, later becoming part of the 42nd Squadron, 11th Bomb Group, 7th Air Force in Hawaii. The 307th Bomb Group was formed in Washington State where HE did HIS initial training. HE WENT to Sioux City, Iowa for additional training. The B-24 he was assigned to crash landed near Wayne, Nebraska on October 4, 1942, killing the bombardier and navigator. He suffered a broken ankle when he parachuted from the crippled plane. In February of 1943, the 307th Bomb Group was transferred to Guadalcanal where it suffered its greatest losses. By the spring of 1943, he was back in Hawaii at Kualoa Army Air Field assigned to the 42nd Bomb Squadron. On May 27th he was picked to fly a rescue mission. The day before another B-24 went missing en-route to Palmyra Air Field 800 miles away. A crew was needed to take a somewhat derelict B-24D, named The Green Hornet, out on the same flight path and look for them. This crew had not flown much together as a trained team. They experienced weather problems and engine trouble during the rescue and crash landed into the ocean where they were searching. Three of the crew survived the crash, BUT HE PERISHED AT SEA.