Hanson, Donald Mangus
Item
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Title
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Hanson, Donald Mangus
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Performer
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Donald Mangus Hanson
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Interviewer
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William Vollano
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Description
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Donald Hanson enlisted in the Navy in 1942. He was commissioned as an Ensign in November 1943. He spent WWII as a training officer. His training tasks included Flight Instruction, Jet Training, Gunnery Training, Photo Training, and Nuclear Weapons Employment. After the war, Donald completed his studies at the University of Minnesota. Most of his time in active duty was spent in Korea with the F9F Panther Jet. Hanson flew a total of 70 missions, 51 combat and 19 noncombat. After one of his missions, he landed his plane on an Aircraft Carrier and found over 300 holes in the plane from enemy fire. Hanson got his nickname because he liked flying low. During one training flight, he and two trainees flew under telephone wires. Although he was reprimanded, he felt he got off easy. From that time on, the other flyers called him "Hoppy." Hoppy retired in 1964 as a Navy Commander. He and his wife now live in Novi, Michigan, at Fox Run Residents. Both he and his wife have been very active in a variety of volunteer activities.
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Date Span
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1942-1964
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Dates of Service
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Subject
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Enlisted; United States Navy; USS Kearsarge; World War, 1939-1945; Second World War - European Theater; Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Collection Location
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2/16
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https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.58390
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Spatial Coverage
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Second World War - European Theater
