Claremont, Virginia

Captain Edward L. Anderson received his gold Naval Aviator wings in March 1941, transitioned into the Douglas SBD dive-bomber and reported aboard the USS Enterprise on June 2, 1941. Several days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, helped sink the Japanese submarine I-170 near the Hawaiian Islands – the first Japanese combatant ship sunk by the U.S. aircraft during WWII. He flew combat missions during the Marshall Islands Raid in February 1942 – the first offensive action by US forces in the Pacific War. From June 4th to June 6th, 1942 he flew combat missions along with other pilots from the carriers Hornet and Yorktown in the famous Battle of Midway. For his actions, he was awarded the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross. From January 1944 to January 1945, he commanded Bombing Squadron 80 aboard the USS Ticonderoga and flew the SB2C. He received his second DFC while leading raids against the Japanese in the Philippines and was severely injured during two Kamikaze attacks while aboard the USS Ticonderoga. On July 1, 1968 he retired from the Navy after a 32-year career.