Henry Oliver Hansen
| Henry O. Hansen | |
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| Born | December 14, 1919 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 1, 1945 (aged 25) KIA Iwo Jima |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1938–1945 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines |
| Battles/wars | World War II *Battle of Iwo Jima |
Henry Oliver "Hank" Hansen (December 14, 1919 – March 1, 1945) was a United States Marine in World War II. He took part in the first flag raising over Iwo Jima, and was, for a time, mistakenly identified as one of the six men in the famous photograph of the second flag raising.
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[edit] Early life
Hansen was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, with one sister and three brothers. He graduated from Somerville High School in 1938. He joined the Marines at age 18 and trained as a paramarine.
[edit] Iwo Jima
By now a sergeant, Hansen was one of six servicemen who raised the first American flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, and were photographed by Lou Lowery.[1] A different group later replaced it with a larger flag, and a photograph of the second flag raising by Joe Rosenthal became famous. Hansen was killed in action seven days later.
After the battle, there was disagreement over the identity of the man at the base of the flagpole in the famous photograph of the second flag-raising. Rene Gagnon and John Bradley had initially identified this man as Hansen. Over a year and a half later, a Congressional investigation revealed that the man was actually Corporal Harlon Block and not Hansen. Fellow paramarine Ira Hayes was instrumental in proving Block's presence in the famous photo. In fact, Hayes had told Marine officials that the sixth flag raiser was Block, but as the Marines had already made announcements that Hansen had been identified, the enlisted men were told to say nothing.[2]
Sgt Henry Hansen is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific near Honolulu on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.[3] The Henry O. Hansen Memorial Park, in his home town of Somerville, was named in his honor in June 2004.[4]
[edit] Portrayal in film
Hank Hansen is featured in the 2006 Clint Eastwood movie Flags of Our Fathers, where he is played by American actor Paul Walker. The movie is based on the book of the same title.
