Traverse City Record-Eagle

Michigan

July 25, 2012

Kingsley mourns Marine's death

BY BILL O'BRIEN, bobrien@record-eagle.com, AND ART BUKOWSKI, abukowski@record-eagle.com ----

TRAVERSE CITY — A former Kingsley resident who served multiple tours of duty was shot to death during combat in Afghanistan.

Justin Hansen, 26, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, died Tuesday after being shot while sweeping a house in Afghanistan, his father said.

"He was no ordinary solider," said Rick Hansen, of Williamsburg.

Justin Hansen graduated from Kingsley High School and died during his second tour in Afghanistan. He also fought in the Iraq war, his father said.

News of Hansen's death saddened plenty in the Kingsley community, including those who never met him.

"We are still a small community. Everybody knows everybody," said Amanda Herrick, who graduated a year before Hansen at Kingsley High School. "Even if you didn't know the person, you know somebody affected by it." Hansen, a standout football player in high school, was remembered by several for his good attitude.

"He was always full of energy, always up for something new," lifelong friend Jon Walton said. "And he was the most committed person I've ever met. Whatever he did, he did 110 percent."

Follow www.record-eagle.com throughout the day for more details, and see Thursday's Record-Eagle for additional coverage.

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