Funeral services for George Hanger, 94, will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 14th at the Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home followed by a full military honors burial at 11 a.m. in the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.
Mr. Hanger fondly known as Papa, passed away April 11, 2019 in Killeen. Son of the late Lee and Gertrude, “Gertie” (Ridgeway) Hanger, George was predeceased by his beloved wife, Edeltraud, “Traude” Hanger. He is survived by his daughter, Terry Hehr and her husband, Roger of Gilbert, AZ, his son, Rex Hanger and wife Melissa, of Ft. Atkinson, WI; and three grandchildren, Kristen Hehr Keister and her husband Dru, Alex Hehr, and Craig Hanger.
Mr. Hanger liked to say he was born in Paris… that is Paris, Missouri Nov. 1st, 1924. Sadly, his mother passed away when he was only five years old. By the time he was born, most of his other brothers and sisters had already left home. When his dear sister, Ruby got married he and his father were left to fend for themselves. The Depression years were tough so when he was drafted Feb. 1943 out of high school into the U.S. Army, he dutifully went to serve his country.
The Army reared him, it was his life. Barely a year after entering the Army, Mr. Hanger was shipped off to Europe to hit the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, commonly called D-Day. Rarely would George share what he saw that day on Omaha Beach. But when he did describe the deafening sounds of gun fire, explosions, and the dead bodies… bodies of his buddies floating feet up because their heavy packs pulled them that way after being shot, he would choke up and cry. After the war, he met Traude and married her on June 2, 1953 in Fulda, Germany. They spent 67 years together until Traude’s death in July of 2018.
Mr. Hanger proudly served 32 years in the United States Army until his retirement in March 1975. His wife and family followed him from one duty station to another and they held down the fort when he attended Army schools and served in Korea plus two tours in Vietnam. He attained the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3 and was awarded the following medals in addition to his Ranger Tab:
Bronze Star w/ 2 Oak Leaf Clusters (3 Awards), Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal w/ 3 Knots (3 Awards), American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/4 Stars, National Defense Service Medal w/ Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster (2 Awards), WWII Occupation Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal 1c,Vietnam Service Medal w/ 4 Stars, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, French Croix De Guerre Medal w/ Palm, Liberation of France Commemorative Medal, French Normandy Commemorative Medal, Medal Commemorative de la Guerre.
Unit Citations:
Army Presidential Unit Citation, Army Valorous Unit Award, Army Meritorious Unit Ribbon w/ Oak Leaf Cluster, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Medal w/ Palm, Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation, 1st class, w/ Oak Leaf device
Following retirement, he attended Central Texas Junior College and graduated from the American Technological University on May 12, 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree. That same spring his son, Rex, graduated from Ellison High School in Killeen and his daughter earned her Masters from Texas A&M. Education was everything to George Hanger. He was always reading and vowed that his children would get college educations. He was delighted that both of his kids and one grandchild so far have earned Doctorates. He spent many years giving back to the military he loved by serving on the Ft. Hood Retirement Council and the Commissary Board. For fun he and Traude walked thousands of kilometers across America with the various Volksmarching clubs. George lived by a military creed. He enjoyed handing out silver dollars to others who followed the same values.
Visitation will be prior to the service between 8 and 9 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Wounded Warriors or a charity of your choice.
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