Service Photo |
Service Details |
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Last Photo |
Personal Details
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Home State
 South Dakota | |
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Year of Birth 1923 |
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This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Tommy Burgdorf (Birddog), FC2
to remember
Anderson, Francis Coleman, LT.
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
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Casualty Info
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Home Town Sisseton |
Last Address Not Specified |
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Casualty Date Jan 28, 1953 |
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Cause Hostile, Died while Missing |
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea |
Location Korea, North |
Conflict Korean War |
Location of Interment Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii |
Wall/Plot Coordinates Court 8 (Cenotaph) |
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Last Known Activity Francis Coleman Anderson was born on May 2, 1923 to Arthur “Doc” and Esther Victoria (Palm) Anderson. He was raised and educated in Sisseton, where he attended high school. He later graduated from “State College with an engineer degree” and reportedly attended the University of Iowa and then the Iowa City Navy Pilot Program. At some point he worked for the US Corps of Engineers in Alaska.
Lt. Francis Anderson served in WW II, enlisting on October 30, 1942, and after the war was inactivated to Naval Reserve. He was recalled to active service on April 15, 1951, and was assigned duty as a fighter pilot who flew an AD-4N Skyraider night bomber with Detachment F, Composite Squadron 35, aboard the USS Kearsarge. He had reportedly been in combat for five months before his disappearance. A declassified report was obtained and contained the following information about the fate of Lt. Francis Anderson:
On January 8, 1953, the USS Kearsarge and its air group left the Hong Kong harbor and were underway to Korea and started combat air operations on January 21. On January 29, 1953, during a “night heckler mission” Lt. Francis Coleman Anderson and a crewman were declared missing in action. Although there was a “comprehensive search,” no information was revealed about their fates.
Lt. Francis Anderson was presumed dead and a death date was set on June 14, 1954; his body was never recovered.
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Comments/Citation Not Specified
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