Knowledge of military history gave Luther Hanson an edge
BY LINDSAY SIMPSON
STAFF WRITER
FORT LEE Ñ Maybe it does not involve him elbow-deep in the dirt, but it does give him plenty of opportunity, and plenty of conversation, to dig through the history of the military.
The passion that Luther Hanson, the museum specialist and curator with the Quartermaster Museum, has for history is evident through the hours of conversation and excitement on his face when he pulls out military artifacts from the archives.
Hanson came to the museum with anthropology and archaeology backgrounds. He initially did archaeological surveys of military bases such as Fort Lee, Fort Eustis and Fort Bragg, N.C., among others.
Eventually, Hanson, who has a bachelorÕs degree as well as a masterÕs degree, heard of a job at the Quartermaster Museum on post. He said that his vast knowledge of military history probably gave him an extra edge for the job.
ÒI guess they hired me because of my ability to identify military artifacts,Ó Hanson said. ÒI was able to do some Ôabove ground archeology.ÕÓ
Now, 24 years after he first stepped foot into the museum, Hanson takes care of thousands of artifacts that are in Fort LeeÕs possession.
ÒI take care of the archives: over 150,000 archive materials, 400 films, 50,000 to 60,000 blueprints,Ó he said. ÒThey are all relevant to the Quartermaster Museum and the Army.Ó
Hanson said that he occasionally fills in to teach officer classes on post when his historian counterpart, Dr. Steve Anders, cannot. Advanced Individual Training students also receiving lessons and instruction from Hanson.
One of the more conspicuous angles to his job is helping with Missing in Action and Prisoners of War cases. Hanson said he helped in 35 to 40 cases.
There is even a semi-glamorous side to HansonÕs job: he has helped with many of the top war movies of the past 15 years. He helped filmmakers with things that deal with Quartermasters and more specific questions about water bottles, uniforms and more. Some of the movies Hanson mentioned included ÒThin Red Line,Ó ÒSaving Private RyanÓ and ÒPearl Harbor.Ó
ÒWe are the life cycle manager,Ó said Hanson, proud of the Quartermasters. ÒI think its one of the honorable branches to be a part of.Ó
©The Progress-IndexÊ2007