HANSEN, Homer K. 1922-2003

HANSEN, CUMMINGS, MCDERMOTT

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 3/6/2009 at 13:12:57

#1 of 4 items:

OBITUARY:

Homer K. Hansen

ST. GEORGE, UTAH - Funeral services for Homer K. Hansen, 80, were held at the L.D.S. 8th Ward Chapel in St. George February 26, 2003.

Homer was born in St. Ansgar on May 6, 1922, the son of Hans K. and Blanche Hansen. He graduated from St. Ansgar High School in 1939. He was proud of his Norwegian heritage and his hometown (St. Ansgar). He attended most of the Class of 1939 reunions and he hosted the 50th reunion in Utah at his ranch in Pine Valley. There was good attendance from St. Ansgar and all over the country.

Homer worked at the Hess Drug Store and for Hormel before enlisting in the Air Force in June of 1942. He married Helen Cummings, also of St. Ansgar in 1942 and they had three children, Michael and Lynn, both living in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Margaret, who resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.

He proudly served 31 years in the Air Force, retiring in 1973 with the rank of Major General, two stars. His career was distinguished, flying 366 combat missions in fighter aircraft in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. In peacetime, he served in Japan, England, Germany, Hawaii and many other states with two tours at the Pentagon.

After retiring from the Air Force, he married Sara Jane McDermott (Sally), and worked as a consultant with Northrup Aviation Co., traveling to many countries, including Saudi Arabia. He served on the Board of Directors of a savings bank in Las Vegas and was elected as president of the bank. He retired after five years and moved to St. George, Utah.

Homer is survived by his wife Sally; a sister, Gyda Reisner of Virginia; three children; six grandchildren; three great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his first wife; two sisters, Loraine Mulligan and Beulah Green.

[St. Ansgar Enterprise - Published March 1, 2003]

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#2 of 4 items:

St. Ansgar Man First to Finish 100 Missions; Flies ‘Spam Cans’

[See photo from this story, below]

AN AIR BASE IN JAPAN – Captain Homer K. Hansen, 28 year old son of Mrs. Blanche Hansen of St. Ansgar, Iowa, was the first fighter pilot in the Korean war to complete 100 combat missions.

Flying both the F-80 “Shooting Stars” and F-51 “Mustangs” which he always named SPAM CAN, Hansen flew a covering protection for the American evacuees on the beginning of the war, June 25th. The following day when it was announced that the Fifth Air Force would carry the fight to the enemy, Hansen officially started his combat tour.

Completing his 100 missions in exactly 70 days’ time, Hansen participated in some of the major air strikes of the war. One of the most notable among these was his action in a fighter sweep against Pyongang air field when he and his wingmates destroyed 15 enemy aircraft on the ground.

The group to which Hansen belongs has been credited by top military authorities as playing one of the most active and successful roles of the war. Being the first unit to see action, it formed the major stop-gap to halt the early Communitst drive from the North. It has been stated that without the intensive 24-hour-a-day close ground support action given by this figher group to the United Nation’s troops in the initial stages of the war, it would have later been impossible to hold the beachhead now so firmly established.

A former salesman for the George A. Hormel Company, Hansen received his pilot’s wing and commission in December, 1943 at Victoria, Texas. Serving as an instructor pilot, he remained in the United States until February, 1945 at which time he was assigned to the Ninth Air Force in Europe.

At the finish of World War II, Hansen returned to his sales position with the Hormel company where he remained until his acceptance of a regular Air Force commission. In 1948 he embarked at San Francisco aboard the USAT General Blatchford and sailed for Japan and occupation duty with the Fifth Air Force.

Hansen’s wife, the former Jean Cummings, is currently residing at an airbase in Japan along with their two children, Michael, 5, and Lynn 2. Although it is not the same locale from which Hansen flies his missions, it is but a short distance away. Mrs. Hansen is the daughter of Ray E. Cummings of St. Ansgar. Captain Hansen’s mother recently returned to the United States after a six month’s visit with her son and his family here in Japan.

(Austin Daily Herald, Friday, October 13, 1950)

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#3 of 4 items:

The Social Security Death Index said: HOMER K. HANSEN was born 6 May 1922, and died on 23 Feb 2003 (Verified), while living at ZIP CODE 84790 (Saint George, Washington, Utah); SSN 479-18-7988 issued in Iowa.

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#4 of 4 items:

(The following is from http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5695 )

MAJOR GENERAL HOMER K. HANSEN

Retired Jan. 1, 1974. Died Feb. 23, 2003.

Major General Homer K. Hansen is vice commander of Aeronautical Systems Division, Air Force Systems Command, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

General Hansen was born in 1922, in St. Ansgar, Iowa, where he graduated from high school in 1939. He received a bachelor of science degree in political science from Jackson College, Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1943. In April 1943 he entered aviation cadet training and in December 1943 was commissioned as second lieutenant with pilot wings at Aloe Field, Texas.

During World War II, he served as a P-47 pilot instructor at Seymour Johnson Field, N.C., from January 1944 to March 1945. He then was assigned to the Ninth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations where he flew P-47 aircraft in support of General Patton's Third Army in France and Germany.

After World War II, in September 1945, General Hansen returned to civilian status for two years. He was integrated into the Regular Air Force in October 1947 and served at Turner Air Force Base, Ga., from August 1948 to January 1951. He next was assigned to the Far Eastern Air Forces as a pilot with the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing at Itazuke, Japan. While with the 8th Wing, he was the first Air Force pilot to complete 100 combat missions in the Korean War.

In January 1951 General Hansen was assigned as a pilot to the 20th Fighter Bomber Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. He went with the wing in May 1952 to England and in July 1954 became operations officer for the 81st Fighter Bomber Wing.

General Hansen returned to the United States in June 1955 to serve successively as operations officer, squadron commander, and commander of the 405th Fighter Bomber Group at Langley Air Force Base, Va. In August 1958 he entered the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.

He next served on plans and operations staffs including positions as program officer in the Directorate of Operations at Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va. (January 1959-September 1960); executive assistant to Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Pacific Command, Hawaii (October 1960-July 1963); plans and programs officer for war plans, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, including special duty with Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. (July 1963-March 1965); and member of the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (April 1965-July 1967). During his assignment on the Joint Staff, he was project officer for the relocation of U.S. forces from France. In July 1967 he became commander, 27th Tactical Fighter Wing, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.

General Hansen was transferred to the Republic of Vietnam in May 1968 as commander, 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, Bien Hoa Air Base. He flew 230 combat missions in F-100, F-4 and A-37 aircraft. He was appointed director, Tactical Air Control Center, Headquarters Seventh Air Force, Tan Son Nhut Airfield, in May 1969.

He became commander, U.S. Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons Center, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in November 1969. He returned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, in August 1971, as director of operational requirements and development plans, Deputy Chief of Staff for Research and Development.

General Hansen was assigned as vice commander, Aeronautical Systems Division, Air Force Systems Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in August 1972.

His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters; Bronze Star Medal with "V" device; Air Medal with 21 oak leaf clusters; Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster; Presidential Unit Citation Emblem with two oak leaf clusters; Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm; Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal, First Class with two palms; and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. He has flown combat in fighter aircraft in three wars: World War II, Korea and Southeast Asia, accumulating more than 350 missions, totaling 570 combat hours.

He was promoted to the grade of major general effective Sept. 1, 1971, with date of rank Nov. 12, 1967.

(Current as of Feb. 1, 1973)

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