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St. Paul, Minn.

Minnesota's stories of military heroism

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Erwin and Helen Hensch
Erwin Hensch is a World War II Navy veteran who lives in Burnsville with his wife Helen. He's a survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the worst Naval disaster at sea in the history of the country. 880 Navy personal died, 317 survived after floating in shark infested waters for more than four days. They were on the return voyage from delivering the components of the first atom bomb dropped on Japan when sunk by a Japanese submarine.
photo by Dan Olson
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Erwin and Helen Hensch
Erwin Hensch is a World War II Navy veteran who lives in Burnsville with his wife Helen. He's a survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the worst Naval disaster at sea in the history of the country. 880 Navy personal died, 317 survived after floating in shark infested waters for more than four days. They were on the return voyage from delivering the components of the first atom bomb dropped on Japan when sunk by a Japanese submarine.
photo by Dan Olson