Bob Hanson is a WWII army veteran who was severely wounded in France and held captive in a German prisoner-of-war camp for four years.
Hanson was 23 years old when he went into the service in 1941. He was placed in the 15th Horse Cavalry at Ft. Riley, Kan., where he rode and trained horses every day. In 1944, in Doslet, Brittany, France, a 40 mm incendiary shell hit the armored car he was in, killing the driver, burning Hanson and the other men, and leaving Hanson wounded by shrapnel. After this incident, he was caught by the Germans. After receiving treatment for his injuries, Hanson was sent to a German prison camp where he remained for four years. When he was finally released in 1945, Hanson weighed a mere 87 pounds and his feet were crippled.
Upon his return to the states, Hanson went to gunsmithing school in Denver, Colo. Later, he married Donna Wright and they had three sons. Terry, Jim and Rick, a Vietnam veteran, have all passed away, as did Donna in 2002. Today, at age 93, Bob Hanson still helps the Buffalo Chip to honor members of our military for their courage, sacrifices and heroic patriotism during the Chip’s Freedom Celebration with an award that carries his name—The Bob Hanson Distinguished Service Award.