Veterans
Walkway of Honor
Veterans Walkway of Honor Brick Fundraising Campaign sponsored by the
Raymond
A. Walling VFW Post 149, 5 Byron Street, Danbury, Connecticut 06810
Donald Hancock
Donald
Hancock was born in Danbury, Connecticut on July 19, 1926.
He enlisted in the Navy on July 27, 1943 earning the distinction of Apprentice Seaman (AS), Seaman 2nd Class (S2C), Seaman 1st Class (S1C), and
finally Coxswain. He was assigned to the 7th Naval Beach Battalion which
took part in the June 6,
1944 landings on Omaha Beach in Northern France. The 7th NBB was assigned to the western section of Omaha Beach and
was attached
to the Army's 6th Engineer Special Brigade. The 7th NBB remained on Omaha Beach for roughly three
weeks.
The primary purpose of the 7th NBB was to act as a liaison
between the Navy's seaborne forces and the Army's ground forces.
Members of the 7th NBB would have come ashore scattered amongst
various other units' landing craft. Among the tasks of a Navy
beach battalion were:
- Establish and maintain shore-to-ship communications
- Guide incoming and outgoing beach traffic
- Small boat repair
- Setup aid stations and field hospitals
- Evacuate casualties
- Demolition of beach obstacles
Hancock was the recipient of the American Theatre Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Ribbon, Army Unit Citation, Victory Ribbon, and the European African Middle Eastern Ribbon.