They Served A Times Commemorative Series

The story continues: August 14, 1945. VJ-Day. The Japanese surrender. Three of us from my company have orders to go to Japan. We got as far as a staging area near Paris when were sent back to Munich for more work. I was reassigned to 851st Engineers for this trip. Sure hated to leave 846th and all my buddies.

November 2, 1945. I have orders to go home. We traveled from Nuremberg to Marseilles, France, by boxcars - three cold days and three cold nights.

November 11, 1945. Sailed for New York on the Costa Rica Victory ship.

November 18, 1945. Landed at New York harbor. How great!

November 30, 1945. Moved to Camp Kilmer, Newark, New Jersey, to fly to Seattle.

December 9, 1945. I was discharged at Ft. Lewis, where I had been inducted three years, two months and three days earlier. When I was inducted, I thought the war would be over in six months.

December 1945. Home at last! It's a good thing I had a car to run the wheels off after being afoot for three years. I know the car was great therapy for me to settle down to normal life.

While studying history and geography in the eighth grade, I never dreamt that I would be fighting in Hitler's war in six European countries: England, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Holland and Germany.

Since the war was over, I found everyone in a festive mood. Dances were one of the principle means of entertainment, not to mention new clubs to join. Never would I have guessed I'd meet my future wife at one of these dances.

It was at a Marcus Whitman Hotel dance that I met the girl of my dreams on August 17, 1946. It happened during harvest, when I was the busiest, but being young and determined to fill the need, I forged ahead. Slim Bailey, one of my harvest hands and an ardent dancer, recommended that I go dancing at the Marcus Whitman Hotel on Saturday night. I followed his advice and found the girl I had been waiting for. She was tall, beautiful and a good dancer. I liked everything about her.

At intermission, Geraine and I went out to my little red 1940 Ford convertible with Rolly Mason and May to visit and take a little drink. After the dance was over, I asked for Geraine's address and said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Geraine and I became very close, finding many occasions to be together. It was soon obvious that she should be mine, and I guess she was willing to give married life a try with me.

On September 22, 1946, we became engaged after going to Falkenberg's to pick out a ring. I said, "If we are going to get married, we have to do it in winter." We picked the 8th of January, 1947.

It looked like I had found someone to wear the silk material I traded eight packs of cigarettes for in Erlangen, Germany. I knew it was for a wedding dress but didn't know who would sew it or wear it. Now, both questions were answered. Aunt Malvina and Uncle Joe La Haise from Grafton, North Dakota, were visiting the Fries. Malvina was an accomplished seamstress and volunteered to make Geraine's wedding dress from the silk. It was a perfect fit. How lucky we were!

My Decorations and Citations: Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and European African-Middle Eastern Service Medal.

Battles and Campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), Rhineland, and Central Europe.

My serial number is 19134224. I still know it frontward and backward. My discharge points were 89. Each battle star netted five points.

-

This concludes Jim Hansen's

memoir, The Best Part

of Life.

If you or anyone you

know served or is serving

in the military and would

like to be featured in this

column, please contact us at

the Times by e-mail at editor@

waitsburgtimes.com or

by phone at (509) 337-6631.

Managing editor Dian

McClurg can be reached at

(509) 956-8312.

The Times would like to honor the following veterans of World War II, all members of Waitsburg's American Legion Auxiliary Post #35:

Dorne Hall, legion commander, Waitsburg

Ivan Keve, Waitsburg Jack Roberts, Waitsburg Dr. S. Roger Hevel, Waitsburg Delbert Mock, Waitsburg Bill Davis, Waitsburg Jack McCaw, Waitsburg David Donnelly, Waitsburg Andrew Cook, Waitsburg Bob Hulce, Waitsburg Burdette Huwe, Waitsburg Lawrence Fullerton, Waitsburg Dean Shea, Waitsburg Russell Zenk, Waitsburg Wm. R. Smith, Prescott Phillip Sutton, Dayton Eugen Mohney, Waitsburg Vance Price, Waitsburg James R. Avel, Waitsburg Bernard Donnelly, Dayton Daniel Jorgensen, Dayton Frank Brown, Walla Walla Bill Payne, Walla Walla Bob Danforth, Walla Walla Darrell Mock, Walla Walla Delbert Sharpe, Walla Walla