Some people are just born with the drive and the desire to serve. When you find someone who is truly born with this trait, you probably couldn’t stop them if you tried. Today we salute Rod Hanson of the United States Navy. Rod hasn’t worn the uniform of a sailor for a long, long time. He dropped out of high school to join the Navy way back in 1945. When asked what drove him to enlist while there was a huge war raging around the world, Rod says “It seemed like everyone else was doing the same thing.”
While Hanson was in Basic training Germany surrendered.  Just before he was scheduled to graduate from boot camp, Japan did the same thing. Rod considers himself lucky in that way. He went back to the civilian world and continued to serve his community as a high school wood shop teacher for more than 30 years. After his retirement Rod became a full-time volunteer, working for Habitat for Humanity, for his church, and for his County Food Bank. At 92 years old Rod is still serving the community. Hanson repairs medical equipment for the Non-profit Medical Equipment Bank in Lacey, Washington, so that people who need wheelchairs or crutches, but can’t afford them are able to pick them up free of charge. When he is not performing any of these other services, Rod Hanson retires to his home shop and makes handles for hand-powered scooters for people in Central and South America. Rod says he feels best when he’s out working, and doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. For his incredible life of service to this nation, and to his community we proudly salute Rod Hanson of the United States Navy.