World War II Hero Jack Hamlin Has Died at Age 102

One of the Ozarks’ most beloved military heroes has died at the age of 102.

Jack Hamlin, who was born on October 15, 1921, died Saturday morning in Springfield.

Hamlin served in the U-S Coast Guard, and on D-Day, June 6, 1944, rescued wounded soldiers from the water when Allied forces invaded the beaches of Normandy, France.

He and other men brought injured soldiers back to a boat before transporting them to a hospital ship

That event was considered the turning point of the war.

Hamlin attended high school at what is now Central High School in Springfield, and attended college at Drury College, now known as Drury University.

Hamlin was also given the chance to play minor league baseball, and was recruited to play for the New York Yankees farm club in Joplin.

When the war came on, Hamlin initially tried to enlist in the Naval Air Corps, but was disqualified after it was discovered he had an enlarged heart.

Hamlin joined the Coast Guard on February 4, 1942.

He was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives at only 30 years old and started his own insurance agency in Springfield in 1952.

Hamlin owned and operated the insurance agency for more than 40 years.

Jack Hamlin made a half dozen trips back to Normandy for the anniversary of D-Day, most recently in 2023.

On June 6, 2024, Hamlin was honored by the U-S Coast Guard, the city of Springfield, VFW, Sons of the American Revolution, Honor Flight of the Ozarks, the Greater Ozarks Area Warriors’ Watch Riders, and the Rachel Donelson Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution in a special ceremony at The Montclair Assisted Living Center in Springfield.

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure read a proclamation proclaiming June 6th as Jack Hamlin Day, and presented Hamlin a Key to the City.

Jack R. Hamlin was a major part of the Honor Flight of the Ozarks Radiothon on KWTO and our Zimmer stations in Springfield, and will be dearly missed.