World War II
On December 8, 1941, Hansen enlisted in the US Navy as a petty officer. He served mostly in the Pacific theatre and was awarded six battle stars. Following the war, he worked out of Omaha as a multi-state field organizer for the American Veterans Committee, a progressive veterans organization formed to oppose the more conservative American Legion.
Read more about this topic: Merle Hansen
Famous quotes containing the words war ii, world and/or war:
“Theres no telling what might have happened to our defense budget if Saddam Hussein hadnt invaded Kuwait that August and set everyone gearing up for World War II½. Can we count on Saddam Hussein to come along every year and resolve our defense-policy debates? Given the history of the Middle East, its possible.”
—P.J. (Patrick Jake)
“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each others eyes for an instant? We should live in all the ages of the world in an hour; ay, in all the worlds of the ages. History, Poetry, Mythology!I know of no reading of anothers experience so startling and informing as this would be.”
—Henry David Thoreau (18171862)
“... the ... radio station played a Chopin polonaise. On all the following days news bulletins were prefaced by Chopinpreludes, etudes, waltzes, mazurkas. The war became for me a victory, known in advance, Chopin over Hitler.”
—Margaret Anderson (18861973)