Military Monday – Edwin Hanisch

Edwin Hanisch was born in Cleveland, Ohio in May of 1917 to a German father born in Russia and a German mother born in Poland. Because Ed, as he was called, could read, write and speak the German language, the United States Navy drafted him during WW2 and trained him as a radio operator, where his language skills could be used when monitoring German communications. When called to serve, Edwin had to leave behind a wife, two small children and a third child on the way. After radio training at the University of Chicago, Ed was assigned to the SS Tucker, a U.S. destroyer. The Tucker's primary assignment was to provide coastal protection by patrolling along the entire Eastern coast of the United States while monitoring all radio communications. Ed died in Sacramento, California in 1973.

Submitted by John Jay
Edwin Hanisch was John Jay's father-in-law.

Posted by Ron Setzer