As family members celebrate former Umatilla mayor George Hash’s 95th birthday, his son Randy is hoping that his father’s legacy is not forgotten.
Hash, who turned 95 on Tuesday, was mayor from 1991 to 2004. But many years before Hash worked to promote economic development in western Umatilla County, he was being honored for his heroics during World War II.
Randy said his father never really shared stories from the war with his family until later in life, when Randy was a parent himself. He eventually learned that his dad, a member of the 101st Airborne Division, was one of the first Americans to parachute into Normandy behind enemy lines ahead of the D-day invasion of Normandy in France. He later became a prisoner of war in Holland, but eventually escaped.
“George A. Hash is somewhat of a World War II hero,” Randy said. “He’s featured in the Smithsonian.”
In a video interview with George online, featured with other veterans’ oral histories on a website called “Mr. K’s pages,” he said he chose to be a paratrooper when he enlisted because he wanted to be in an outfit “that was going over there to do some business.”
“I figured that was the best choice if I wanted some combat,” George said.
He also said he was “no kind of a hero,” just one of thousands of soldiers following orders.
Randy said one of his father’s brothers-in-arms called him out of the blue years ago to tell him about the day his father was captured. The Germans had
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