George Edwin Anderson Sr.

Saturday, March 7, 1925 – Monday, June 19, 2023

George Edwin Anderson, Sr., 98, of Camdenton, MO, passed away surrounded by family on Monday, June 19, 2023, at Stonebridge Senior Center in Osage Beach, MO.

George was born on March 7, 1925, at the family home in Songer Township, Clay County, Illinois. He was the son of Joseph Corbette and Nettie Fae Higgason Anderson. At age six, he began school at Center School, a one-room schoolhouse for grades 1 through 8. George completed grades 1 and 2 in his first year in school and graduated 8th grade in 1938. He was very proud of the fact that his lowest score at Center School was 96 out of 100. He attended Harter-Stanford Township High School in Flora, IL, graduating on May 29, 1942.

Answering his nation’s call to service during World War II, George entered the U.S. Navy in St. Louis, MO, on August 8, 1942. His mother had to sign for him since he was only 17 years old at the time. He attended boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, IL, which was followed by Aviation Machinist Mate School in Norman, OK. He excelled and was asked to stay and teach hydraulics, specifically that pertaining to the hydromatic propeller in use at the time that used hydraulic pressure to change the pitch of airplane propellers. He turned down the opportunity as he wanted to “go where the war was”. His next stop was Naval Air Gunnery School in Purcell, OK, where he learned to fire 30 and 50 caliber machine guns and to identify all friendly and enemy planes using the WEFT (Wings, engines, fuselage, and tail) System.

George continued training and served stateside with Patrol Squadron VPB2/1 and 2 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL where he served on PBY Flying Boats as the navigator and, at times, the pilot. When their plane was on the water, he maintained the sea plane’s engines, propellers, fuel system, and other critical systems. The squadrons were involved in anti-submarine warfare along the Atlantic coast. They would fly convoy duty which entailed flying a zig-zag course ahead of the convoys scouting for German U-boats. During these missions, George and others in the planes spotted several U-boats. They reported the sightings to the convoys resulting in the convoys’ destroyers engaging the U-boats.

Then, George was assigned to Headquarters Squadrons of Fleet Air Wing 14 and then Fleet Air Wing 10 operating out of San Diego, CA. His land-based unit was deployed to Australia and moved northward from island-to-island through campaigns in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of operations. The crews’ missions included bombing and strafing of enemy troops and

shipping; photo intelligence operations; at-sea search and rescue support for downed fliers and sailors of sunken vessels; supply runs; and other missions.

On September 21, 1944, George was excited to learn his brother, Corporal Joseph C. Anderson, U.S. Army, Surgical Technician whom he hadn’t seen for two years, was nearby in the Admiralty Islands (Lae, Papua New Guinea). He asked permission to go ashore but was denied by the ship’s Captain. However, due to the level of enemy contact already experienced, George couldn’t pass up the chance to see his brother, so he went ashore on a supply ship. Their hometown newspaper reported “with the exception of five hours sleep they talked continually for the two days they were allowed on passes.” Upon returning to his ship, George was restricted to the ship for thirty days for his unauthorized “pass”, that he gladly served for being able to see his brother.

Late in the war, he saw combat as a crewman aboard the USS San Pablo AVP-30, a Curtiss Class seaplane tender. Following that, he was assigned to the Carrier Aircraft Service Unit (P) 58.

For his service, George was awarded the following medals and ribbons: the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. Also, he received stars for six major combats as reported by his hometown newspaper. He was honorably discharged as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class on January 18, 1946, at St. Louis, MO having served three years, five months, and seven days in the Navy.

Arrangements are under the direction of Allee-Holman-Howe Funeral Home of Camdenton, Missouri.