The majority of the veterans we’ve heard from this season recall growing up in Great Depression poverty. Such is not the case with Robert Hanson, a Navy Lieutenant whose father found himself in an intriguing position of economic strength that helped Robert settle into Ivy League academia by the start of World War 2. But that doesn’t mean he was guaranteed safety or good eats when assigned to run PT 182 off of Morotai island - one of the motorized torpedo boats that would take on Japanese barges in some of the most dangerous fighting in the Pacific.

Did income and education make a difference in the end? Listen along as Robert guides us through Navy combat and island cuisine in this story of service and sacrifice. Find photos from this episode of Service and lots of nerdy details behind everything shared in this episode at Robert’s page at www.ServicePodcast.org, where you can also share your Service stories and leave messages for all of the veterans you hear on Service.

And we’re always sharing extra audio and nerdy food history on social media - we’re @servicepodcast on Instagram and Facebook.