Army Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen
Death: Dec 05, 2009
of Panama City Fla.; assigned to the 1st Battalion 32nd Infantry Regiment 3rd Brigade Combat Team 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) Fort Drum N.Y.; Died Dec. 5 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl Germany of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit on Dec. 3 with an improvised explosive device in Logar province Afghanistan. Served with Corps before joining Army The Associated Press Dennis Hansen was determined to dunk a basketball when he was a boy so he plotted the perfect strategy: Set up a ladder to slam that ball through the hoop. He made the shot but there was just one problem: He didn’t plan for what would happen after the dunk so his landing was a bit rough Pastor Barry Baughman recalled at Hansen’s funeral. But that desire to excel is something Hansen carried throughout life Baughman said. Hansen31 of Panama City Fla. Died Dec. 7 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Germany of wounds sustained from a roadside bomb four days earlier in Logar province Afghanistan. He had served 8½ years in the Marine Corps before joining the Army and had previously served in Africa Kosovo Japan Panama Cuba and Iraq as well as two tours in Afghanistan. Hansen was assigned to Fort Drum N.Y. and lived in Scottsville N.Y. with his wife Jennifer and their infant son Michael. Hansen had two other children who live in Texas: 10-year-old Alana and 7-year-old Gabriel. His family said in his obituary that he enjoyed fishing golfing wrestling and woodworking and noted he was an avoid Ohio State University football fan. He also loved animals pumpkin pie and coffee his family said. “Michael says Hi Daddy!” his wife wrote on his MySpace page in July 2009. “... We think you’re the best and we cant [sic] wait to see your face again!”Operation Enduring Freedom