Vietnam War-Stories.com: Tribute to: Tribute to Robert Hansen, KIA 1970, Vietnam, by Nancy Meyer. 1998. 1995-2023.

A rose next to Robert Greg Hansen's name (Omaha, Nebraska--Omaha Central Class of '64) so that anyone who visits will know that he is not forgotten. I loved Bob from the time we met in kindergarten. He played basketball at my house, drove me to school every day in high school. We heard "I Want To Hold Your Hand" together for the first time on the way home from school and thought that the new group "The Beatles" were SO COOL), and spent time with me through college. He was such a handsome boy, dark eyed and dark haired. He did not get drafted into the army, he volunteered because he thought it was his duty to serve America. He died within 15 days of arriving in Vietnam. He was an only child and his mother committed suicide that next Christmas out of loneliness and grief.

I will never forget how much I love him. He remains forever young in my memory, and I cannot grasp the idea that he would be an old man these days. In my yearbook he wrote to me, "I hope your life will be filled with happiness and success." I have had all that and more. He did not get a chance to have a future. But I teach school and I teach a unit on Vietnam (my students located your web site) and I mention his name, show his picture and talk about his life. I hope his memory lives on in my students' lives as well.

When I got a rubbing of his name this summer at The Wall, the man who did the rubbing thanked me for loving the guys there. Many of us do and always will.

ROBERT GREG HANSEN
SSgt - Army - Regular
101st Airborne Brigade
24 year old Single, Caucasian, Male
Born on Aug 01 1946
From OMAHA, NEBRASKA
His tour of duty began on Jul 23 1970
Casualty was on Aug 07 1970
in THUA THIEN, SOUTH VIETNAM
NON-HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY
ACCIDENTAL SELF-DESTRUCTION
Body was recovered
Religion - METHODIST
Panel 08W - - Line 91