The Biography and Military Record of SSG Jeffrey Hansen     Staff Sergeant Jeffrey J. Hansen was born in Minden, Nebraska on July 12, 1975. He graduated from Bertrand Community High School in 1993 and went on to attend the University of Nebraska at Kearney where he received a degree in athletic training in 1997. Jeff married Jennifer Lynn Deines on 12 October 2002. Jeff’s hobbies included hunting, shooting, and cars.     Jeff joined the Nebraska National Guard in January 2000. He enlisted in Troop A, 1-167th Cav located in Hastings, Nebraska. He completed his Basic and AIT at Fort Knox, KY in May 2000 at which time he was awarded the Army Service Ribbon and the MOS of 19D, Cavalry Scout. Jeff completed PLDC in January 2002 earning the Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon. He was promoted to Sergeant in March of 2002 and later that summer he received a Nebraska National Guard Individual Achievement Award for his outstanding performance at Annual Training. In the fall of 2002 Jeff received an Army Commendation Medal for shooting 957 out of 1000 at the Squadron Commander’s Table X gunnery.     Jeff deployed to Bosnia with Alpha Troop for 6 months in 2003 after completing a 4 month train up at Fort Riley, KS. He earned a certificate of achievement for being the NCO of the month for July 2003 while in Bosnia. At the conclusion of that deployment and tour in the Balkans, Jeff was awarded the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the NATO Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with ‘M’ device. Shortly after returning from the Balkans Jeff completed Phase I of BNCOC where he exceeded course standards, graduating in the top 20% of his class. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant in June 2004. Jeff earned an Emergency Service Medal in May of 2005 after being called to duty to respond to flooding in Nebraska. Jeff was honored with an Army Achievement Medal at the conclusion of his service in A Troop in October of 2005. He was then transferred to HHT, 1-167th Cavalry for this deployment. Upon completion of a six month train-up at Camp Shelby, MS which included picking up a new MOS, Jeff deployed here to Anaconda. Shortly after our arrival, Jeff was assigned to 3rd Platoon, Bravo Troop, 1-167th Cavalry as a section leader.     Jeff’s awards and decorations for his service while deployed to Camp Shelby and here in Iraq include the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with (M) device and numeral 2. Jeff was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon.     Jeff is survived by his wife Jennifer, his father Robert, and his brother Jeremy.