HomeMy WebLinkAboutAlfred E. Hanson, Brazos Valley HeroesTaliey
One in a series of tributes to members of "The Gr`eatesl
Generation" who served our country during world War II
First of Two Parts
By Bill Youngkin
Special to The Eagle
Alfred E. "Al" Hanson is a man who enjoys Irfe and
the people in his life. I don't think I've ever smiled as
much as I did while conducting his interview for this
article. Whenever the phone would ring, which it did
often, he would say "that's probably President Bush
calling." He never did say which one.
AI was bom in 1924 in San Antonio but moved with
his parents in 1926 to Baytown, where he attended and
graduated from Goose Creek School in 1942.
"My parents were deaf - what people called deaf
and dumb back then, having met at the Austin School
for the Deaf. My dad was a lino type operator and a
proofreader for the Baytown Sun. There were four of
us boys and I remember my Dad telling us as far back
as 1938 or 1939 that all four of us would have to go
to war with Germany some day. He never mentioned
Japan. But when the war came, all four of us did serve.
My older brother Herbert in the Army, me in the Army
Air Corps, my brother Halbert in the Navy and my baby
brother Jack in the Army Air Corps.
"War broke out my senior year and I remember
Life magazine predicting that the war would last only
six weeks. Were they ever wrong. I played football at
school and remember everyone wanting to join up. We
had the best season we ever had our senior year. We all
decided to wad until after the football banquet to join.
"My fiend Leonard Thibodeaux wanted to double -
date with me to the banquet since I had a car. I told him
O.K., but he would have to pay for the gas, which cost
15 cents a gallon. He filled up the car, paying with a $10
bill. I asked him where he got that kind of money and
he told me he got it from lasting two minutes in the ring
with a bear at a carnival. He said that was the fastest
he ever moved in his fife... Leonard was awarded our
outstanding player award. After the banquet Leonard
volunteered for the Marines. Leonard was killed on
Guadacanal.
"The rest of the seniors on the team waited until after
graduation before we volunteered as a team, all 15 of
us. They told us to go home until they called. In eady
1943 they called us all in for induction. When we got to
Houston there were recruiters from all of the branches
and before long our football team was headed to all of
the branches of the service. I ended up in the Army Air
Corps and was sent to Ft. Sam and then Sheppard Field
in Wichita Falls for basic training.
"While I was at basic, we were all out on the drill field
doing calisthenics. I was talking to a fellow behind me
when the instructor stopped everyone and asked me to
come up on the stand. He told me that since he didn't
seem to be able to hold my interest he wanted to see
if I could do a better job in leading everyone. I looked
out at everyone and told them to take a five - minute
break. Fortunately he laughed and told me to get back
in line."
While at Sheppard Feld, AI became involved in the
camp boxing competition, making it all the way to the
championship bout for the middleweight division.
"I fought a guy named Blacky Schwartz from
Louisiana who had some semi -pro experience. We had
to go three rounds and I had him beat after the first
two rounds but in the third round, he knocked me out
cold. After the match my base commander asked me
if I wanted a rematch and I said yes. I really trained for
that re- match, but at 4 a.m. on the day of the re -match
a guy Game around waking some of us up. He said,'Get
your things; you're leaving.' As I left on the troop train
that day, I remember thinking that Blacky Schwartz
was one lucky S.O.B."
AI was sent to Sioux Falls, S.D., for radio school.
"They had such a need for radio operators, the school
was conducted on three eight -hour shifts. We studied
code, mechanics on how to repair the radios and
practiced on sending and receiving messages. You had
to be able to send and receive 14 words in a minute. I
was able to do 18.
"Before they would give you your wings you had to
send and receive a message while flying. They took
me out to the air strip, where I climbed in a Piper Cub
behind the pilot. They had a pad and key there and I
was able to send and receive with no problem. After I
did that, the pilot went higher and asked me it I saw any
other planes. I said 'No, Sir,' and he asked if my safety
bed was fastened and I said 'Yes, sir.' He then did a
complete flip and when he finally straightened up, my
fingers were almost bleeding from holding on so tight.
That's when I wished I had stayed on the farm."
Out of the 30 to 35 men in the class when radio
school started, only seven graduated. Al was sent to
Denver and then Sad Lake City, Utah, where he almost
froze to death before being shipped to Del Valle Feld
outside Austin.
"I got some leave and went home and married
Ruby Novasoad, my high school sweetheart, who
remained my sweetheart until the day she died. We
were stationed at Bergstrom and one day we went out
shopping. You always went out in uniform so no one
would question why you weren't serving your country.
I noticed a deaf couple and went over to talk to them,
using sign language. Ruby overheard a couple of ladies
behind her comment that 'The war must be getting
really bad because they were now taking deaf and
dumb boys in the service.'
AI was chosen to be a member of C -47 crew being
sent to Pathfinder School in Indiana, which enabled
the planes to fly at night with radar. It was there that
he would become part of a crew that would fly many,
many missions in the Pacif ic.
Next week, the war in the Pacific for At and his
crew mates.
Alfred E. "Al" Hanson's name can be found on the
Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial For more information,
to make a contribution, or if you know a Wodd War 11
Veteran whose storyneeds to be told, contact the BWM
at www veteransmemodal.org or Bill Youngkin at (979)
260 -7030.
t 1nt in a series of tributes to inenoers of "The. c,r<'riI I
c wiwration" who scrr'r our country during world war II
E I
Second of Two Parts
"When we were gone on missions, which sometimes
would last a week, they would put your mail on your bunk.
By Bill Youngkin
Whenever we took off I made, the sign of the cross and I
Special to The Eagle
made it again when we landed. Then I hoped and prayed
Alfred E. "AI" Hanson was the radio operator on a C -47
I would have mail waiting on my bunk. I always had mall,
crew that had just completed its training and was to be
thanks to my sweet Ruby. Some of her letters I would read
sent for duty in the Pacific Theatre In 1944,
three and four times.
"After we completed the Pathfinder school our crew,
"Of all the places we flew into, Okinawa was one of the
instead of flying out to California, was boarded on a troop
toughest. We lost a lot of ships, equipment and men on
train to Hamilton Field. When we finally arrived we were
Okinawa. It was a sample of what the invasion of Japan
assigned temporary barracks. I decided I would go to the
was going to be like.
movie show that night.
"We were always busy flying food, medicine, ammo to
"As I was standing in line I noticed a guy behind me who
the troops in the field. With the invasion of the Philippines
was looking really bad. He was yellow - tinted, wrinkled and
we had one emergency mission. Some of our guys
skinny. He asked if I was headed overseas and I said yes
and he said he had just returned. I asked him where he
were fighting in the hills and were in desperate need of
had been serving and he said Biak Island, New Guinea, and
everything. We received parachutes of different colors
he said he was suffering from jungle rot he had contacted
attached to what we were to drop. White for water, red for
there.
ammo, blue for food and green for medical supplies.
"He showed me his fingernails, which were black, and
"A lieutenant came along from the Army with a
said that his feet looked worse. He then told me that on
walkie - talkie. Our guys couldn't use flares because of the
Biak Island'If the Japs don't get you, then the malaria will.
Japanese, so we had to locate them through the walkie-
And, if the malaria don't get you, then the jungle rot will.' I
talkies. The heat from the ground caused significant
said to myself that 91 ever ended up looking like that guy, I
updrafts and downdratts. We flew real low, almost at stall
wasn't going to come home. I didn't stay for the movie.
speed, making pass attar pass. When we finally made radio
"That night we experienced an earthquake. If you have
contact had pinpoint their location, so I would run
never been in one, it will scare the hell out of you and I was
from the A lieutenant to our pilots relaying info, like
A rmy lie
scared enough already."
move 200 yards left or right.
At and his crew left the next day on a C -54 to Hawaii,
stopping on Johnson Island, Tarawa and then Guadalcanal.
"If we didn't drop right on them, the Japs would get the
From there they were shipped to their duty station, Biak
food, water, etc. and our guys would be in worse shape.
Island, New Guinea.
We managed to get it all to them and managed to get back
"All I could think of when we landed on Biak Island was
without getting shot down by the Japs on the ground. I felt
hoping I didn't get the jungle rot like that guy at Hamilton
like we made a difference for those guys that day."
Field. At Biak we flew a C-47 to wherever we had American
When the war ended, Al was stationed in the Philippines,
troops in the area. We hauled supplies, troops, armor and
but he and his crew were to became part of the occupation
one time a bunch of nurses. You always tried to land and
forces in Japan.
unload whatever you were carrying so you could get back.
Although most of the landing stops were called secure,
"We ended up flying Japanese officials to places they
there were Japanese troops in the hills and jungles on
needed to go to, including MacArthur's headquarters in
almost all of those islands. If you didn't fly out before dark,
Manila. The Japanese were very nice and respectful to us.
it meant spending the night in some water - filled foxhole.
Everyone bowed when they met you. Whenever we were
"Whenever we left to go on a mission, I made sure I
back at headquarters in Japan, we went to the board on
had my .45- caliber pistol, my pocketknife, a cigarette
the wall to see if your name was on the list to go home.
lighter and the St. Christopher medal my wife had given
When I saw my name I got tears in my eyes."
me always hung around my neck. The other thing that was
essential to a radio man was my code book. It had the
At returned to Seattle on December 20,1945, but wasn't
codes of all the areas we flew to, which was just about
able to be discharged and make it home before Christmas.
every island there was in the Pacif ic Theatre. I also had the
After the war, he attended the Luling Foundation, where he
frequency of Tokyo Rose, who played the best music. I still
Teamed the meat business. He opened a processing plant
have that code book today.
in Hearne and eventually owned and operated Readfield
"Flying in the Pacific was always an adventure. Lots of
Meats in Bryan until he sold it to the Ruffin family.
times you had to fly over a lot of open water. If you went
All the Hanson boys survived the war, but several of
down you hoped they would be able to find you, so I made
it a habit of reporting our position every few hours. One
his football teammates didn't. When asked about his
day we had our right engine go out. An engine going out
experience in the war, Al responded, "I did what I was
was fairy common, but this one day the other engine was
asked to do."
also having problems. Our pilot told us to prepare to bail
Alfred E. 'AI" Hanson's name can be found on the
out. I opened the side door and had our fife raft ready to
Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial For more information,
throw out. The raft would inflate when it
I realized that if I threw the raft out and
hit the water. But
jumped, I would be
to make a contribution, or If you know a World War It
along way from the raft and would probably
drown trying
Veteran whose story needs to be told, contact the BWM
to swim to it - if I could find fl. I decided I would take my
at www.veteransmemorial.org or Bill Youngkin at (979)
chances and stay with the plane. We made it back.
260 -7030.
The
E gle
Viet Nam vet Bob Spoede will be the guest on
"Veterans of the Valley" this week on KAMU -N Veterans of
the Valley, hosted by WTAW's Tom Turbfville, can be seen Fridays at -
8:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 6:30 p.m. of
Hnrnu.omu.ed"
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