David C. Hansen

David (Dave) Christian Hansen was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 6, 1917, the first-born son of Arvilla Whittle Hansen and Albert Hansen. Two brothers soon followed, Lawrence (Larry) in 1919 and James (Jim) in 1922.

This obituary was written 83 years after Dave’s death — long after everyone who knew and loved him is gone — but thanks to family photos and stories, along with Dave’s letters and military record, it is possible to sketch a picture of his too-short life.

Arvilla and Albert raised their sons in Milwaukee, sent them to the local public schools, and were active in their community. Arvilla taught piano and served as their church’s organist and choir director, leading family song nights around her piano in the parlor. Albert was a banker. They vacationed at Kangaroo Lake, enjoyed golf, fishing and swimming, and played fiercely competitive games of cribbage and bridge with their wide circle of extended family and friends. As teenagers Dave and his brothers squabbled over who would get to use the family car on Friday and Saturday nights for a date. In short: they were a tight-knit, loving, rambunctious family.

Albert died suddenly in 1939 from injuries sustained when he fell off the roof of his family’s home, having climbed up on a Sunday afternoon to fix their radio’s aerial. Dave became the man of the family, surely a heavy responsibility at the age of 22. He had completed vocational training and was working in sales, a profession that suited his affable personality.

Dave joined the U.S. Army Aircorps in September 1940, shortly after the U.S. had announced a draft requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 35 to register beginning in October. Dave and his brothers were airplane enthusiasts and did not want to be drafted into the ground forces, so it’s likely Dave joined up early so that he could be in the Aircorps. A veteran who served with him shared that Dave was a happy, friendly guy whose jokes and stories boosted the spirits of his comrades.

When the U.S. entered the war in December 1941, Dave was serving with the Headquarters Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group, in the Philippines. While the U.S. scrambled to organize its forces in the South Pacific, his group was pushed back to the Bataan peninsula by the Japanese in late December. They experienced hunger, malnutrition, and disease outbreaks while awaiting reinforcements that never came. Dave reported in his last letter home in February 1942 that he had suffered hearing loss after a bomb exploded in a tree over his head, killing one of his friends and severely wounding another. He credited his mother’s prayers with saving his life and wrote of his intense yearning to come home, sending specific wishes to his grandparents, friends, brothers and other loved ones. Shortly after the hospitalization for this injury, Dave rejoined his unit on the front lines.

After the surrender of U.S. forces in the Philippines in April 1942, Dave and thousands of others became prisoners of the Japanese. He endured and survived the infamous 65-mile Bataan Death March and was imprisoned in the notorious Cabanatuan prisoner of war camp. According to camp records, Dave died of dysentery on June 28, 1942, and was buried in a common grave.

After the war, U.S. forces recovered the remains of U.S. prisoners from Cabanatuan, but complications in burial and recovery efforts prevented the identification of many, including Dave. His mother was informed first of his capture, later of his death, and was sent a Purple Heart medal and folded U.S. flag, but officially Dave was considered Missing In Action. His Army record includes numerous letters from his mother pressing for more information and expressing intense frustration that his remains were considered unrecoverable. She moved to Hawaii to work in a girls’ school and to feel closer to her oldest son.

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Defense decided there was sufficient scientific and historical evidence to disinter some unknowns whose remains had been interred at a military cemetery in Manila. After extensive analysis and testing, an arm bone and a leg bone were positively identified as Dave’s. His eldest surviving next of kin, niece Lynda Hansen Withbroe (Larry’s daughter), was formally notified of Dave’s death in December 2024 and presented with his Bronze Star, another Purple Heart, and his Prisoner of War medal.

In addition to Lynda (George), Dave is survived by another niece, Christine Hansen, nephews Dave (Annie) and Jeff (Joan) Hansen, grand- and great-grand-nieces and nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father. His mother, brothers, sisters-in-law, a niece Judy, two grand nieces and a grand nephew, and an infant great-grand nephew, his namesake David Hansen Hesse-Withbroe, died after him.

Finally, Dave’s family can bring him home. They will gather on the 83rd anniversary of his death, June 28, 2025, in Brookfield, Wisconsin, for a funeral at Brookfield Congregational United Church of Christ and burial with full military honors — close to where Larry is buried. The funeral is open to the public. A private, invitation-only luncheon will follow the private burial.

Dave’s family is not simply burying a few bones. They will bury remains of the arms that hugged his mom, cast fishing lines with his dad, tossed baseballs with his friends, and wrestled with his brothers. They will bury remains of the legs that ran races with his grandpa and danced with his girl. Should future analysis result in more of Dave’s remains being identified, those will be buried at sea at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.

The family is deeply grateful to SFC Samantha Hall, Casualty Assistance Center, and James Bell, Mortuary Affairs Officer, of the U.S. Army; Rev. Laura McLeod and her team at Brookfield Congregational UCC; and Dave Loncaric of Krause Funeral Home. They celebrate the advocates, scientists, and military members who work tirelessly to identify and return the bodily remains of service members to their loved ones — and the peacemakers who seek to end war and all forms of violence and to heal our broken world.

In lieu of flowers, those who are moved by Dave’s story are encouraged to make memorial contributions to the Wounded Warrior Project.