World War II Honoree

Lawrence J. Andersen

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Littleton, Colorado

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Storekeeper Second Class. Inducted into the United States Navy December 13, 1941 at Portland, Oregon, with recruit training at the U.S. Naval Training Station San Diego, California. Upon his graduation from boot camp and Storekeeper Schooling, he was transferred to the USS Indianapolis Heavy Cruiser, CA-35 for duty responsible for ordering, stocking also; issuing repair parts, clothing and general supplies. On the Twenty-Sixth of July 1945 the Cruiser and her shipmates were dispatched to the Philippine Islands for duty, after delivering top-secret cargo to the U.S. Air Base Location: Tinian Island Western Pacific Theater of Operations. The Warship was torpedoed by an Imperial Japanese Submarine July, 30 1945 sinking in twelve minutes, while assigned to a radar picket station off-shore of Okinawa Island Location: Northwest Pacific Theater of Operations. Reported missing in action or buried at sea succeeding the attack. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Location: Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippine Islands. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.