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Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Birth: 4 February 1920, Lucknow, India. Accredited to: Massachusetts.
Other Navy Awards:
Navy Cross, Air Medal. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry
and intrepidity at the risk of his life and above and beyond the call of
duty as fighter pilot attached to Marine Fighting Squadron 215 in action
against enemy Japanese forces at Bougainville Island, 1 November 1943;
and New Britain Island, 24 January 1944. Undeterred by fierce opposition,
and fearless in the face of overwhelming odds, 1st Lt. Hanson fought the
Japanese boldly and with daring aggressiveness. On 1 November, while flying
cover for our landing operations at Empress Augusta Bay, he dauntlessly
attacked 6 enemy torpedo bombers, forcing them to jettison their bombs
and destroying 1 Japanese plane during the action. Cut off from his division
while deep in enemy territory during a high cover flight over Simpson Harbor
on 24 January, 1st Lt. Hanson waged a lone and gallant battle against hostile
interceptors as they were orbiting to attack our bombers and, striking
with devastating fury, brought down 4 Zeroes and probably a fifth. Handling
his plane superbly in both pursuit and attack measures, he was a master
of individual air combat, accounting for a total of 25 Japanese aircraft
in this theater of war. His great personal valor and invincible fighting
spirit were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)
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