More detail on this person: Retired Lt. Col.
Alden George Hannum passed away on
Wednesday, June 17, while walking in Colonial
Williamsburg which was one of his favorite
pastimes. He died peacefully and quickly which he
talked about doing when the time came. He also
wanted to end his life doing something he enjoyed.
Both of these wishes were fulfilled. Al was the
son of the late David and Rhona Hannum of Putney,
Vermont. He is survived by his wife of 55 years,
Loretta Jeter Hannum; their two children, David
Alden Hannum and Tamara Leigh Hannum Bizzell,
her husband Jack, and four grandchildren: Abigail
Taylor Hannum, Zachary Alden Hannum and Jack
Donald Bizzell and Jillian Leigh Bizzell; a
sister, Martha Hannum O'Connor of Brattleboro, VT
and several nieces and nephews. He was
predeceased by his brother, Colonel David Bentley
Hannum. Born in Brattleboro, Vermont, Al grew up
in the adjacent town of Putney. He graduated from
Brattleboro High School before continuing his
education at the University of Virginia where he
received his Bachelor of Science degree, later
completing his Master's degree at The College of
William and Mary. While at the University of
Virginia, Al was part of the Army ROTC, gaining
his commission as a 2nd Lt. upon graduation. He
entered the military service in June of 1955. In
1956, he served on the Dew Line Project in Alaska
before attending flight school in Camp Gary,
Texas, where he received his fixed-wing training
followed by rotary-wing training at Ft. Walters,
Texas and Ft. Rucker, Alabama. After a short
assignment at Ft. Eustis, Virginia, Al was
assigned to a helicopter company at Ft. Sill,
Oklahoma, followed by assignment to Ft. Campbell,
Kentucky. In 1960, Al traveled to Munich, Germany,
with his bride, Loretta, for an extended four-year
assignment. Their son, David, was born in
Stuttgart. The family returned to Ft. Benning,
Georgia, in 1964, where Al was assigned to the 1st
Air Cavalry Division, before deploying to Vietnam
in 1965. In 1968-69, Al served a second tour in
Vietnam where he commanded the 142nd DS
Transportation Maintenance Company. He returned
in 1969 to the Transportation Engineering Agency
in Newport News, Virginia, where he served until
1973 when he went to Thailand on an accompanied
tour with his wife and two children. He served as
Transportation Officer for the U. S. Army JUSMAG
in Bangkok until 1976. While there, the family
enjoyed visiting many countries including Laos,
Singapore, Malaysia, and Burma. Al returned to the
Transportation School and Post Headquarters at Ft.
Eustis until being assigned to the Logistics
Command at Ft. Lee, Virginia, where he retired in
1981. Al was a Master Army Aviator and received
the following awards while in service: the Legion
of Merit, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,
the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf
Cluster, the Air Medal with 18 Oak Leaf Clusters,
the National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf
Cluster, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Unit Citation with Palm, the Joint Service
Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal,
the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the
Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the Army
Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. From
1981-1986, Al was at Ft. Story with Bell
Aerospace; however, Al spent much of his
retirement as an Associate Broker with the former
GSH Real Estate Company located in
Williamsburg. The job suited Al to a 'T' as he
loved meeting new people and helping them in
finding their dream home or in helping with
relocations. In 2003, he was awarded the first
Carolyn Moseley Ethics Award by the Williamsburg
Area of Realtors. After leaving GSH, Al spent time
doing what he loved best: traveling with his wife
and his grandchildren to national parks, New
England, Hilton Head, Orlando, and favorite
Southwest locations such as Sedona and the
Grand Canyon. When not traveling, he loved to
garden and work in the yard. The deer, the birds
and the animals around his Kingspoint home will
surely miss him! A memorial service will be held
on Wednesday, June 24, at 5:00pm at Nelsen
Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Rd.,
Williamsburg. A visitation with friends and family
will take place following the service. Interment
will take place at Cedar Grove Cemetery at a later
date with full military honors. In lieu of
flowers, memorials may be made to the Army
Transportation Museum Foundation, Drawer D, Fort
Eustis, A 23604-0320 or to Williamsburg
Montessori School, 4200 Longhill Rd.,
Williamsburg, VA 23188. Online condolences may
be offered at www.nelsencares.com
Published in Virginia Gazette on June 20, 2015
This information was last updated 09/09/2013
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