Saturday, November 4, 2023 | Country Acres • Page 1
Country Acres Saturday, November 4, 2023
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 10, Edition 16
PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE ARCHIVE
The U.S.S. Herndon DD638 was stationed off the coast of Normandy on June 6, 1944, playing a role in the D-Day invasion.
Teaching history through
a sailor’s journal
Hanson shares Clermont’s story to honor veterans BY JAN LEFEBVRE STAFF WRITER
HOFFMAN — When Jerome Hanson purchased a 1942 military-issued Harley-Davidson a decade ago, he was set on a path he had not anticipated. The motorcycle would bring into his life not only a beloved friend, but also a mission. Although there are no physical signs that Hanson’s Harley-Davidson was used in war, over 80,000 of its type, the WLA, were produced for World War II and were used for escorts, scouting expeditions, military police missions and other
duties. “If you pull up pictures from that era, you are going to find these motorcycles being used in many operations,” Hanson said. “There’s even one picture from the war, taken in the dead of winter, with a belt wrapped around the back wheel (that is propped up off the ground). It is powering a belt-driven generator that is producing a little heat for our troops.” Hanson often takes his motorcycle out for a spin. He named it Duke after the actor who was called by that nickname. “I’m a huge fan of John Wayne, and how
many war movies has he been in?” Hanson said. “I really felt the motorcycle needed to have an identity.” Like the actor, the motorcycle drew attention when Hanson took it to a few antique-car shows. Hanson said he wished all the stories could be heard by more people, especially non-veterans who never experienced war. When he graduated from Hoffman High School in 1976, the Vietnam War was over. He was never in the military or experienced war himself. He became a crop farmer and opened an auctioneering business. He and his wife, Natalie, a retired state trooper, live near Hoffman.
“There’s a little bit of guilt I have that I’m not a veteran,” Hanson said. “If I had been, how would I have reacted or responded?” Hearing the stories, he said, affected him. “I thought, ‘What could I do with this
Hanson/ Clermont page 2
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Jim Clermont (left) and Jerome Hanson meet for the first time in 2018 and take a photo together with Hanson’s World War II-issued motorcycle during a hog roast at Apol’s Harley-Davidson store in Alexandria. The pair now attend veterans events together where Hanson reads from Clermont’s diary entries he wrote during the D-Day invasion.
ST R
Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
This month in the
COUNTRY: Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on November 18, 2023
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Fall festival fun Tiffany Klaphake column
16 German craftsmanship in Stevens County Chokio
9
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18 Wandering thoughts on invasives Nancy Packard Leasman column
12 Cutting-edge crafting Long Prairie
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