World War II Honoree

George Milan Anderson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Elsinore, Utah

Honored By

Douglas M. Anderson

Relationship

Son

HIS MILITARY SERVICE BEGAN ON JULY 12, 1944. HE WAS IN THE ARMY INFANTRY, AND FOUGHT WITH VALOR AND PATRIOTISM IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. ALSO SERVED IN JAPAN. TRAINED AT CAMP ROBERTS, WHERE HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE 88TH BATTALION AND TRAINED IN HEAVY WEAPONS (WATER-COOLED 30-CALIBER MACHINE GUNS AND 80 MM MORTARS). JANUARY 19, 1944, AFTER 35 DAYS ABOARD A TROOP TRANSPORT SHIP, HE ARRIVED IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. HE WAS ASSIGNED TO COMPANY L, 34TH REGIMENT, 24TH DIVISION. TEN DAYS LATER, HE WAS IN THE EIGHTH WAVE ON THE BEACHHEAD ABOVE SUBIC BAY NEAR OLONGAPO. NEXT CAME THE BEACHHEAD AT BATAAN FOLLOWED BY THE 'BIG ONE' AT CORREGIDOR. HE WAS ON THE FIRST WAVE ONTO CORREGIDOR AND, AS SECOND SCOUT, HE BECAME THE SECOND MAN BACK ON 'THE ROCK'. FOLLOWING CORREGIDOR, HE WAS ON TO HIS FOURTH BEACHHEAD AT MINDANAO. HE WAS ON THIS ISLAND TRAINING FOR THE INVASION OF JAPAN WHEN HE HEARD OF THE A-BOMBS BEING DROPPED AT HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI, CAUSING THE END OF THE WAR. LATER HE LANDED IN JAPAN AND SERVED IN MANY CITIES INCLUDING MATSUYAMA, SHIKOKU, KYOTO, ETA JIMA, HIMEJI, HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI. WHILE THERE HE MADE THE RANK OF PLATOON STAFF SERGEANT. HE COMPLETED HIS MILITARY SERVICE AUGUST 17, 1946, HAVING SERVED TWO YEARS, ONE MONTH AND FIVE DAYS.