Print This Page

Major Merton Peter “Mert” Hansen

A black and white headshot of a White young man in uniform.
  • Unit: Marine Observation Squadron 5
  • Date of Birth: June 2, 1921
  • Entered the Military: June 3, 1942
  • Date of Death: October 12, 2014
  • Hometown: Blooming Prairie, Minnesota
  • Place of Death: Des Moines, Iowa
  • Award(s): Distinguished Flying Cross
  • Cemetery: Wall 3, Row A, Site 61. Iowa Veterans Cemetery, Adel, Iowa
Contributed by Rya Behrens, Nyah Hachmeister, Hannah Pelton, Pepper Rains, Claire Russenberger, and Charley Steinfeldt
Mentored by Mr. Jon Markus
Adel DeSoto Minburn Middle School, Adel, Iowa
2025/2026

Early Life

Major Merton Peter Hansen was born June 2, 1921, in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. He was raised by his father, Benjamin Arthur Hansen, and his mother, Amanda Olivia (Munck) Hansen. He grew up with five siblings: Phyllis, Burnett, Glenda, Harold, and Ellwood. The family endured a devastating drought that forced them to lose their farm. 

Hansen graduated from Blooming Prairie High School in 1939, ranking fifth in his class. Hansen then got a job as a dairy herd improvement tester for the county agricultural extension. His job was to test milk for butterfat and advise farmers on improving their herds. 

Hansen applied and was accepted by the U.S. Naval Aviation Cadet Selection Board on June 3, 1942. His love of airplanes inspired him to sign up. He explained that whenever a plane would fly by, he would stop whatever he was doing and watch it go over. He said that thoughts of the military eventually came into his mind, and it became all too tempting. 

Even though his parents strongly discouraged the idea and refused to sign the papers, Hansen ran to the recruiting station after learning that, at 21, he could enlist without parental consent. Though his parents did not fully approve of the idea, there was nothing they could do. 

A snippet of the 1930 Census.
The 1930 Census shows the Hansen family in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. National Archives and Records Administration.
A snippet of the 1940 Census.
The 1940 Census shows the Hansen family in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. Dad, Benjamin, is listed as a farmer. Harold and his brother Ellwood are both working as cow testers on a farm. His sister, Glenda, is a teacher. National Archives and Records Administration.

Homefront

Blooming Prairie is a small agricultural community in southern Minnesota, in Steele and Dodge Counties. During the war, many residents worked at the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant in New Brighton, where they produced .30, .45, and .50-caliber small-arms ammunition. 

The community was involved in wartime agriculture and food production, with newspapers encouraging farmers to care for and own more cows to boost food output for the war effort. Minnesota also helped produce cheese products purchased by the U.S. government for the Food-For-Defense program. 

Local residents also supported the war effort by publishing thank-you messages for local servicemen in newspapers. Many community members were actively involved in collecting, preparing, and sending morale packages, a duty many recognized as wartime patriotism.

The war brought population shifts to Blooming Prairie, with the population increasing by 14.9% from 1930 to 1940, then by 19.5% from 1940 to 1950. Women in the community were also affected because the war created more job opportunities that were now vacant due to many enlisted men overseas. For instance, in 1943, 60% of the workers at the New Brighton plant were women. And women in nearby Austin, Minnesota, a major war food-processing center, entered the workforce packing sausage at the Hormel Packing Plant. 

A newspaper article titled, “Dairymen in Food for Defense Program.”
This article from the Lyle Tribune highlights the dairymen’s role in the Food for Defense Program, January 2, 1942.
A black and white image of several white women in white lab coats and hairnets standing around a metal table piled with sausage they are weighing and packaging.
Women packing sausages at the Hormel Packing Plant, 1941. Library of Congress (2017812771).

Military Experience

Acceptance and Training

Merton Peter Hansen enlisted in the U.S. Navy on June 3, 1942. He applied for the Naval Aviation Cadet Selection Board in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His application to the Navy’s V-5 program was accompanied by references from his principal, who called him “an exceptionally fine student” with a “well-rounded, stabilized personality.” There were also references from his dentist and the county agricultural agent, who praised his honesty, dependability, and initiative. 

After a few months on inactive duty waiting for orders, Seaman Second Class Hansen began his aviation training at the U.S. Naval Aviation Pre-Flight Training School in Iowa City, Iowa, from November 1942 to February 1943. This was followed by training at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Minneapolis, and a final round of advanced flight training at the U.S. Naval Air Training Center in Pensacola, Florida. A few days before graduation, Hansen learned he had qualified to become a pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps. On September 10, 1943, the Navy formally designated him a Naval Aviator in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. He was also commissioned as a second lieutenant.

Iwo Jima

Hansen was a Marine observation pilot over Iwo Jima, flying an unarmed Stinson OY-1 in Marine Observation Squadron 5. These reconnaissance missions were flown at low altitude to spot enemy troops and plot their positions on a map, thereby improving attack accuracy. They were very close to the battlefield, just fifty to a hundred feet above it, and were very dangerous, as they were frequently exposed to small-arms fire. The Stinson OY-1 aircraft were often referred to as “Grasshoppers” due to their ability to take off and land from almost anywhere. The squadron patch for VMO-5 featured a grasshopper dressed as a pilot.

Hansen’s role on Iwo Jima was a critical part of the U.S. island-hopping campaign to push toward the Japanese mainland, as Iwo Jima was a strategic island whose airfields the United States desperately needed. While stationed at Iwo Jima, Hansen witnessed the iconic flag-raising. 

Hansen’s last combat mission was flown on March 16, 1945, completing a total of 38 missions on Iwo Jima. Hansen later received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his achievements during these missions. 

End of Service

On March 25, 1945, Hansen boarded USS Sturgeon from Iwo Jima, and he arrived in Hawaiʻi on April 14. First Lieutenant Hansen left active duty in December of 1945 and chose to remain in the Marine Corps Reserves, advancing through the ranks and ultimately retiring as a major on December 1, 1958.

A black and white image of two white men in uniform standing in front of a plane.
Merton Peter Hansen with an unknown mechanic, c.1945. Courtesy of the Hansen Family.
A black and white drawing of a skull looking to the right with “Special delivery Tokyo” sticker on the side. Inside the top of the skull is a grasshopper pilot.
Drawing of a Marine Observation Squadron 5 (VMO-5) unit patch, c.1944. Courtesy of the Hansen Family.

Veteran Experience

After the war, Hansen earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Education from the University of Minnesota and moved to Johnston, Iowa. He married Dorothy Jeanne (Mack) Hansen on August 26, 1945, and together they raised two children, Lona and Stephen. Mert rarely spoke of the war to protect his wife and kids from the trauma of his combat experiences. 

Professionally, Hansen worked as a poultry geneticist for Hy-Line Poultry Farms. Hy-Line developed the world’s first hybrid egg-laying chicken produced on a commercial scale, making it the “world’s best-selling chicken.” However, his true passion was defined by his dedication to his community and new hometown of Johnston, Iowa. He spent years wondering why he had been spared from the war, so he made it his lifelong mission to earn his survival by giving back to the community through public service.

He became a pillar of the Johnston community, serving as Vice Mayor, President of the School Board, a member of the Johnston Planning and Zoning Committee, a Boy Scout leader, a Little League coach, a founder of a local 4-H club, and a founding member of the St. Paul Presbyterian Church. This community service earned him the title of Johnston’s Citizen of the Year in 1986. The community later honored his wife, Jeanne, with the same title in 2002.

Hansen’s military story was featured in two books: Fall of the Japanese Empire: Memories of the Air War, 1942-1945 by Ron Werneth and OY Semper Fi! by R. Duncan Cameron. Cameron was a pilot from Tennessee who restored a Stinson OY-1 aircraft. Cameron also facilitated the reunion between Hansen and his aircraft.

A black and white image of a older White man. He is wearing a black suit and bowtie. He appears to be seated and the photo is from the chest up.
Memorial photograph for Major Merton Peter “Mert” Hansen. Find a Grave.
A newspaper article titled, “Johnston Councilman Named to CIRALG Post.”
An article in the Des Moines Register explains that Hansen was elected as chairman of the Central Iowa Regional Association of Local Governments, February 10, 1981.
A black and white image of an older white man sitting in the cockpit of an older airplane. The USMC logo is painted on the side of the plane.
Merton Hansen sits in the cockpit of a Stinson OY-1, the plane he flew during World War II. Des Moines Register, August 9, 2011.

Commemoration

Merton Peter Hansen passed away on October 12, 2014, at the age of 93 in Polk County, Iowa, and is inurned at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. He leaves behind a legacy as a dedicated family man, an accomplished scientist, a decorated Marine pilot, and a servant to his community, solidifying the true meaning of his survival of one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific Theatre.

Marker for Major Herton Peter “Mert” Hansen and Jeanne Hansen at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery, February 27, 2026. Courtesy of Chris Preperato.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

“Cheese Demand Goes Soaring.” The Austin Daily Herald [Austin, Minnesota], July 25, 1941. Newspapers.com (1002821407).

“Dairymen in Food for Defense Program.” The Lyle Tribune [Lyle, Minnesota], January 2, 1942. Minnesota Historical Society.

Dodge County Minnesota County Extension Service. Annual Report of the County Extension Service in Dodge County, Minnesota, 1943. Dodge County Minnesota, 1943. https://collection.mndigital.org/catalog/des:4171.

“Dorothy Hansen.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, Iowa], September 06, 2014. Proquest.com (1949012664). 

“Echo From Our Honor List in the Front Lines of Uncle Sam’s Defense Work.” The Lyle Tribune [Lyle, Minnesota], January 2, 1942. 

“Johnston Councilman Named to CIRALG Post.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, Iowa], February 10, 1981. Proquest.com (2110284053).

Hansen Family Records, 1940-2014. Courtesy of the Hansen Family. 

Hansen, Stephen. Telephone interview with the author. November 25, 2025.

Iowa. Polk County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital Images. http://ancestryclassroom.com. 

“Machinegun Cartridges Must Be Right—N. Brighton Sees to That.” Austin Daily Herald [Austin, Minnesota], December 17, 1943. Newspapers.com (1002878763). 

Merton P Hansen. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Merton Peter Hansen. Minnesota, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Merton Peter Hansen, Official Military Personnel File, Department of the Navy, National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Merton Peter Hansen. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2020. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Merton Peter Hansen. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Minnesota Department of Highways. 1942 Official Road Map of Minnesota Showing the State Highway System and Main Secondary Roads. Minnesota Department of Highways, 1942. Map. Highway Maps Collection, Minnesota Department of Transportation Digital Library. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14153/mndot.3648.

Minnesota. Steele County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital Images. http://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Minnesota. Steele County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital Images. http://ancestryclassroom.com. 

“Official Census Figures for Every Minnesota County and City.” The Minneapolis Star Journal [Minneapolis, Minnesota], January 19, 1941. Newspapers.com (187344931). 

Pierson, Heidi. “Neighbors Work on Plan for ‘Original Johnston’ area.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, Iowa], May 02, 2013. Proquest.com (1347561430). 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Committee on Victory Gardens. The 1943 Victory Garden Program. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1943. Reprinted by U.S. Office of Civilian Defense, March 1943. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-PR32_4400-4381b818c763ffa7d714174f6cc65de7/pdf/GOVPUB-PR32_4400-4381b818c763ffa7d714174f6cc65de7.pdf.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. 1950 Census of Population Preliminary Counts.  Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1952. U.S. Census Bureau. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/pc-02/pc-2-37.pdf.

Vachon, John. Packing Sausages at Meat Packing Plant. Austin, Minnesota. Photograph. July 1941. Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress. www.loc.gov/item/2017812771/.

“Working Together.” Advertisement. The Austin Daily Herald [Austin, Minnesota], July 6, 1943. Newspapers.com (1003226958).  

Secondary Sources

“About Us.” Hy-Line. Accessed March 25, 2026. https://www.hyline.com/about-us. 

Cameron, R. Duncan. “OY Semper Fi!” Blurb. Accessed February 1, 2026. https://www.blurb.com/b/4040469-oy-semper-fi.

Erzen, Todd. “Memories Flood Back for Veteran on Trip in WWII Spotter Plane.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, Iowa], August 09, 2011. Proquest.com (881735984). 

Merton Peter Hansen. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Merton Peter Hansen. U.S., Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

“Merton Peter Hansen.” Veterans Legacy Memorial. Accessed December 15, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/MERTONPETERHANSEN/89ae97. 

Werneth, Ron. Fall of the Japanese Empire: Memories of the Air War 1942-45. Elm Grove Publishing, 2018.


This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.