Loren D. Hagen

First Lieutenant Loren Douglas Hagen was a United States Army Special Forces officer who served as a Recon Team leader during the Vietnam War. He led "RT Kansas," a small special reconnaissance unit consisting of U.S. Army Special Forces Green Berets and highly trained indigenous Montagnard commandos. Operating under the Task Force One Advisory Element, also known as Command & Control North of the Studies and Observations Group (SOG), Hagen led critical and highly classified reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines.

Hagen was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States military's highest decoration for valor, for his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity during a fierce engagement in the Vietnam War. While defending his team's position against a heavily armed enemy force, he repeatedly exposed himself to intense fire to direct operations, assist his wounded teammates, and attempt to secure the perimeter before he was mortally wounded.

His legacy remains a testament to the extraordinary courage of the Green Berets and SOG operatives who undertook some of the most dangerous missions of the Vietnam War. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Lieutenant Hagen was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and multiple campaign and service medals for his combat leadership and ultimate sacrifice.