The History of the Heartland committee is reminding MacArthur High School students about the annual scholarship in memory of Loren Doug Hagen, a 1964 graduate of MacArthur High School.
Hagen’s family was consulted for guidelines of the formation of the fund. The annual $500 scholarship is intended to contribute toward the educational expenses of a graduating senior of MacArthur High School who will be attending a college or university. The scholarship recipient must have been a participant in student government. Additional preference is made for students who have some connection to military service, either a family member who served, or their own participation in a reserve program or ROTC.
All donations are tax deductible. Donations by check may be made out to DPS 61 Foundation and Hagen Fund in the memo and mailed to DPS Foundation Attn: Hagen Fund 101 West Cerro Gordo, Decatur, IL 62523 or made online at: https://www.schoolpay.com/pay/for/Doug-Hagen-Memorial/SdZwuF?mip=Mdy7
History of the Heartland was formed to promote preservation of structures and the stories of our people. The Hagen story stood out to chairman, Bret Robertson. “The Medal of Honor is rare and extraordinary. In Doug’s case, here we had a very high-profile student, a leader in his class, and yet his story remains so little known in the community at-large” says Robertson. The committee hopes to enhance community awareness and engagement to assist in preserving his story for generations to come.
Loren “Doug” Hagen was elected the Student Council President of the MacArthur High School Class of 1964. Following Doug’s graduation from MacArthur, he studied engineering at North Dakota State University, where he graduated in 1968 and then enlisted in the Army. Doug was commissioned an Army Officer and selected for training in the Special Forces, the “Green Berets”.
He was assigned to the Studies and Observations Group (SOG), a top-secret special forces command in Viet Nam. In 1971, 1st Lieutenant Hagen was leading a team that had been inserted to collect intelligence in the Ashau Valley area of South Viet Nam. A major concentration of North Vietnamese troops had moved into the area surrounding the insertion point and his team was soon detected. Hagen prepared defenses and organized for his team to be extracted. His small team was outnumbered 107:1 by an assaulting force, the most lop-sided engagement of the war.
Doug’s team repelled the first wave of the assault. But as the fighting continued at close quarters, Doug was killed as he left cover to check on one of his team members who was hit. Despite the odds, half of the assaulting force was destroyed, and eight of his fourteen team members were extracted to safety. For his extraordinary leadership and bravery under fire, Doug posthumously received the Medal of Honor.
When History of the Heartland approached the Decatur Public School Foundation about managing the scholarship fund, the concept was welcomed. “Doug Hagen’s impact on his peers and his hometown is very apparent, especially in terms of the way he’s remembered by friends from his high school years at MacArthur,” says Zach Shields, Executive Director of the Decatur Public Schools Foundation. The Foundation honored Doug’s memory at the 2015 Legacy of Learning event and will manage funds contributed to support the new scholarship. “Providing this award in Mr. Hagen’s name is a way to tangibly recognize his sacrifice and the person he was, and to share his story with current young people who walk these same hallways.”
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