Greetings from Trygve Hansen, here in the USA.
May 8th 2021
I am proud and encouraged by that fact that I, as a 99 year old , WWII veteran of the Royal Norwegian Navy to be asked to send a greeting.
I am proud of what we did, and honored to be able to say so in my hometown of Sandefjord on this day.
I am encouraged by what I see and hear, what you fellow veterans in Norway and my second/new homeland of the USA have done, and continue to do to secure peace, freedom and democracy for all people.
You might not recognize me on the street as most of you are born long after me, and many of you were not even around when I served our country, Norway, but the mission for all us veterans has always been the same, restore peace and to make this world a better place for all and pass it on to the next generation.
I would like to point out that my service, and so many other WWII Veterans did not stop on 8 May 1945, and neither should you, my fellow Veteran, if you have or when you take off your uniform. We should always continue to serve and should continue each and every day that we can. Freedom and liberty is not “free” and lasting, unless we protect it.
As we know serving others is a privilege and honor, and should not be put aside for a later day,
trust me – do it each day.
For those of you who have not served in the military, become a veteran in so many other ways by your own ‘service for others’. As the saying goes,
“If you want to thank a Veteran, be the kind of person worth fighting for”
For most of you this day is not about WWII, when I served, but about honoring all Veterans in securing what we, the WWII generation, gave to you for safe keeping and to pass it on to the next generation.
You, the new generation of Veterans have stepped up and done your bit, even when your home and Country was safe and secure, not occupied and family was attacked, as it was in my case. Not a simple choice. You all have done this for others to live in free and in a safer world.
So here on what is called all Veterans Day in Norway and remembered around the world as “Victory in Europe”, I, a Veteran from WWII, salute all of you, and say ‘Thank you for your service’ .We should never forget what you have done and continue to do.
Best regards
NVIO avd. Vestfold sitt eldste medlem er 99 år og blir 100 år i januar 2022. Han heter Trygve Hansen, bor i USA og var om bord i jageren Stord under landgangen i Normandie i 1944. Denne hilsenen har han skrevet til alle i forbindelse med dagen i dag, med gode refleksjoner det er verdt å tenke over. Knut Erik Jørgensen, leder i NVIO Vestfold vil også lese opp hilsningen fra Trygve når de står ved veteranmonumentet i Sandefjord i dag.
Vil du lese mer om Trygve?
Forsvarets Forum nr. 3, 2019 hadde en lengre reportasje om Trygve Hansen som du kan lese her.
