Period:

Vietnam War (1955-1975)

Rank:

1st Lieutenant

Unit:

Company A, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Airborne Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles", U.S. Army

Awarded on:

March 22nd, 1968

Citation:
"For gallantry in action. First Lieutenant Anderson distinguished himself on 7 October 1967 while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company A, 2d Battalion, 502d Airborne Infantry, 1 st Brigade, 101 st Airborne Division. While set up in a night perimeter, Lieutenant Anderson’s platoon was attacked by two company size North Vietnamese Army units. Lieutenant Anderson, with complete disregard for his own safety, exposed himself continually to the vicious hail of enemy automatic weapons fire in order to position his men, direct their fire and call-in artillery support. Lieutenant Anderson, realizing he was outnumbered and in danger of being overrun, broke contact and withdrew. After withdrawing to a fairly safe area, he immediately reorganized his platoon for a counterattack. Lieutenant Anderson, again with complete disregard for his own safety, personally led the assault against the enemy. In the early phases of the counterattack, he was wounded. Although bleeding profusely and in great pain, he continued to expose himself and lead his men through the assault. Lieutenant Anderson did not allow himself to be evacuated until all of his wounded men were extracted and their position secure. Lieutenant Anderson’s successful counterattack accounted for twenty confirmed North Vietnamese Army soldiers dead, fourteen automatic weapons, two rocket launchers and one flame thrower captured. Lieutenant Anderson’s outstanding display of gallantry in action and his devotion to duty are within the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great service upon himself his unit and the United States Army."

Headquarters, I Field Force Vietnam, General Orders No. 275 ( March 22, 1968)