There are moments in history that will always be remembered.

There are men and women who made those moments possible that should never be forgotten.

WWII veteran Jack Kent Hansen is one of those men.

“This man parachuted in behind enemy lines in the D-Day invasion and served the rest of the war in different campaigns, including Holland and the famed Battle of the Bulge,” Mayor Kim Rolfe said.

On June 6, 1944, Hansen and his comrades joined in the largest seaborne invasion in history as allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in Operation Overlord. 

Hansen was recently recognized by the West Jordan City Council for his part in that invasion. He served from 1943 to 1946 in the renowned 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed the Screaming Eagles, a U.S. Army light modular infantry division trained for air assaults.

Rolfe honored Hansen for the service that he gave to his nation, the world and to his fellow soldiers.

Hansen, who has undergone several operations on his throat over the years, had only one thing to say.

“I wish that some of my friends that are all gone now could have some of these honors, too,” he said.