World War II Honoree

Theodore Victor 'Ted' Anderson

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

Relationship

no

MOVED FROM HIS HOME TO TACOMA, WASHINGTON TO WORK IN THE SHIPYARDS. DRAFTED INTO MILITARY SERVICE IN APRIL, 1943. SERVED AS A NAVAL CORPSMAN (PHARMACIST'S MATE) OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER, ATTACHED TO THE 5TH MARINE DIVISION DURING THE WAR. TRAINED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER BEFORE BEING DEPLOYED TO THE PACIFIC AREA. HE SERVED SOME 22 DAYS ON IWO JIMA, IN THE BONIN ISLANDS IN THE NORTH WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN, BEGINNING IN FEBRUARY, 1945. PARTICIPATED IN THE IWO JIMA OPERATION. AS HE WAS ESCORTING WOUNDED MARINES TO A PLANE TO BE FLOWN OFF IWO JIMA TO SAFETY, AN ENEMY MORTAR ROUND EXPLODED IN FRONT OF THEM. THE TWO MEN CLOSE TO HIM WERE KILLED INSTANTLY. HE WAS WOUNDED AND HIS HELMET SPLIT IN TWO. HE RECEIVED SERIOUS WOUNDS TO HIS RIGHT EYE AND LEGS. UNDETERRED, HE CONTINUED HIS EFFORTS TO EVACUATE THE OTHER WOUNDED MEN. MEDICAL PERSONNEL SOON FORCED HIM TO SEEK TREATMENT FOR HIMSELF. DOCTORS INITIALLY THOUGHT HE WOULD BE TOTALLY BLIND IN HIS INJURED EYE, BUT HE EVENTUALLY RECOVERED SOME VISION. HE CARRIED SHRAPNEL IN HIS LEGS FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART, COMBAT ACTION RIBBON, NAVY PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR ACTIONS BY THE 5TH DIVISION ON IWO JIMA, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AFTER ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS, AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN.