GUERNSEY & ANDERSON MILITARY HISTORY

 

This family military history includes both Guernsey and Anderson veterans, starting with the Civil War.  Wish we could include  a Revolutionary War veteran, however, we were unable to verify our Henry Anderson, born 1740, as a veteran.  Julie Bloomer (Jack Powers daughter) and I are doing the research, problem is there were 634 Henry Anderson on the war rolls.

 

 CIVIL WAR 1861 – 1865     War fought after seven Southern slave states declared  their secession and formed the Confederate States of America.  The states that remained in the Union were known as the “Union” or the “North”.  Over 600,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed and destroyed much of the South’s infrastructure.

Henry M. Anderson and his wife Sara had 6 sons.  We believe all the Anderson boys fought for the South during the Civil War, except Phillip Jefferson Anderson, who was too young.  They fought in the Western Campaign and Texas Campaign.  Military Roll records show Albert J. Anderson (our great grandfather) was on the Muster Roll of the 3rd Texas Cavalry, Confederate Army as a Private and another  showed A.J. on Captain. J. Raven Mathew’s Co., South Carolina muster roll.  We do not have family records to verify that Albert J. Anderson fought in South Carolina .  After the Civil War some of the boys were scouts for the U.S. Army stationed near Mobeetie, Texas and Oklahoma Territory.

Our  Confederate Civil  War Veterans were;

JAMES ANDERSON, ALBERT J. ANDERSON, MITCHELL ANDERSON, JOHN H. ANDERSON AND WILLIAM W. ANDERSON 

 

WORLD WAR l 1914-19

The worlds first global conflict, pitted the powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Otto Empire against the Allied forces of Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and  Japan.  More than 9 million soldiers killed by the end of November 1918.  

                 

VIRGIL ANDERSON, U.S. Army.  Shortly after joining the Army, he fell victim to the measles and died in a Texas Military Hospital at the young age of 18.

CURT H. GUERNSEY, U.S. Navy.  Joined the Navy in 1917 as an Apprentice Seaman.  Almost died from the 1918 flu epidemic and was nursed back to health by his wife, Cora.

LEE CAFFEY, U.S. Army. Picture lower right.

ORREN ANDERSON, U.S. ARMY. Picture top right.

WORLD WAR ll 1939-45

Sparked by Adolph Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939, the war would drag on for 6 years until the Allied forces defeat of both Nazi Germany and  Japan in 1945.  Exact figures are not known but estimated between 50 – 80 civilian and military deaths.

MIKE GUERNSEY,  US NAVY, SEABEES (picture above).   Our family WW ll veteran, Mike, saw a lot of action.  When he enlisted they noted he was a Certified Professional Engineer, they offered him a officers commission but he turned it down, so they made him a Chief Petty Officer..  They assigned him to the Seabees, the US Navy’s construction battalion.  His duties were to build naval aviation bases, replace bombed out bridges, runways etc..  He was involved with the heavy fighting on Okinawa and other Islands.  In 1945 when he was stationed on the island of Guam,  his nephew Curt Guernsey, Jr.,came through Guam and gave Mike a surprise visit.

 

CURT GUERNSEY, Jr., US Navy.  In 1942 Curt Jr. joined the Naval ROTC program at the University of Oklahoma.   In 1943 all Fraternity Houses were shut down (including his Delta Tau Delta House) in order to house the U.S. Navy recruits.  Curt received  a Commission as Ensign in the U.S, Naval Reserve and later ordered to report to a ship in the Pacific.  Curt said it was quite a story of his experiences in finally catching his assigned ship, LST 904, in the northern end of Honshu Island in the Philippines. At the end of the war he was in Japan and got to witness the Japanese  war trials.

JACK ANDERSON, U.S. Army.  Interesting story, Jack was in charge of the Draft Board in Custer County, Oklahoma.  He drafted himself! He was in officers training but due to medical reasons he was not able to complete his training .

RAYMOND POWERS, U.S. Navy (son of Noma Anderson)

POWELL POWERS, Army Air Corp, later became U.S. Air Force.  He was a pilot. (son of Noma Anderson)

JACK POWERS, U.S. Navy.  Served on a ship and his claim to fame “he was never shot at”. (son of Noma Anderson)

BILL CAFFEY, U.S. NAVY (son of Luella Guernsey)

BOBBY HIGGINS, U.S. AIR FORCE.   Two superpowers, the U.S.A and the USSR emerged from WWll to begin a Cold War with each other. Bobby was a pilot and flew the huge B 52 bomber.  During the Cold War he was assigned to the Strategic Air Command which was on alert 24/7 for a possible war with Russia.  He retired from the Air Force as a Colonel. (son of Lillie Anderson).

WILLIAM DONALD ANDERSON, U.S. ARMY.  Our only family member to serve in both WW ll  and the Korean War.  During the end of the war he was assigned to the Occupation of Japan, 1946-48 (son of Jack Anderson).

 

KOREAN WAR 1950 53, WITH ARMISTIS SIGNED NOVEMBER 1954

The Korean War began as a civil war between North and South Korea, but the conflict soon became international when, under U.S. leadership, the U.N. joined to support of South Korea, China entered to aid North Korea.  The war left Korea divided and brought the cold war to Asia. There were 2.5 million civilians and military killed.     

 

 

 

JIM LEE ANDERSON, U.S. AIR FORCE (picture above).  Received commission through the ROTC program at Oklahoma A & M College. Assigned to the 623rd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, a  remote mountain top site on Motobu, Okinawa.  The mission was to monitor and control the aircraft going to and from Korea by radar.  A small military unit that lived in tents (site looked very similar to scenes shown on the M*A*S*H movie). There were no Military Police, so all officers were required to wear side arms to guard against saboteurs. Later in this 2 1/2 year tour, he was allowed to bring Jane and baby daughter Debra to Okinawa.  Jim stayed in the Air Force Reserve after leaving Okinawa and was later called back in the service in 1961.  He was attached to the 305th Troop Carrier Squadron ordered to active duty on 1 October 1961 for the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Later  designated the 937 Troop Carrier Group equipped with the c-124 Globemaster aircraft.   After 13 years on active duty and reserve, he resigned at the rank of Major. ( son of Orren Anderson)

 

WILLIAM DONALD  ANDERSON, U.S. ARMY.  If we were to choose the family member who paid the biggest price to maintain our freedom, it would be Bill.  Also, the only member who served in WW ll and Korean War.  In 1946 he was attached to the 11th Airborne Division that  General MacArthur selected  to occupy Japan after their surrender.   When the Korean War started, the 11th was sent there as part of the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment.  Bill was in the battle of Heartbreak Ridge (Clint Eastwood made a movie about this battle).    The fierce battle for the ridge was one month long and eventually the American and French forces gained the upper hand and secured the Heartbreak Ridge.  Both sides suffered high casualties and wounded, INCLUDING BILL.  In a close battle with a North Korean soldier Bill was shot, later receiving the purple heart for his bravery.

Bill continued to serve his country and was later stationed on Okinawa.  Only recently did we discover that Bill and cousin Jim were stationed on Okinawa at the same time.  Only a small island, approximately 15 miles wide and 100 miles long, but their paths never crossed.  After returning to the United States he stayed in the Army Reserve and retired as a Full Colonel. (son of  Wm. “Jack  ” Anderson)

JOHN INNES, U.S. NAVY.   John served on an Aircraft Carrier.  (son of Minnie Guernsey)

DWAYNE SULLINS, U.S. NAVY.  (son of Leona Anderson)

LYNN DALE SULLINS, U.S. NAVY.  Served in the Navy for 22 years as a Nuclear Weapons Expert. (son of Leona Anderson).

GENE CAFFEY, U.S. NAVY.  Do not have record of his service.  A family picture taken at the Guernsey ranch showed Gene in a Navy uniform.  ( son of Luella Guernsey).

 

VIETNAM WAR 1955 -1975

The Vietnam War was fought between North Vietnam, supported by Russia and China and other and other communist allies, and South Vietnam  supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies.  Disillusionment with the war by the United States led to gradual withdrawal of the U.S. ground forces.  Estimated fatalities of service members and civilians killed range from 800,000 to 3.1 million. The U.S. service members was 58,200 who died in conflict.

MARK “BUZZ” MASTERS, U.S. AIR FORCE (picture above).  Buzz attended the Air Force Academy where he received his commission. He spent 23 years in the Air Force where he flew the F-16 aircraft for nine years.  He had a tour with the USAF Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team in 1985-86.  The Thunderbirds performed in 165 shows for over 10 million people in that 2 years.  Buzz also flew the F15E Strike Eagle from Saudi Arabia in the No Fly Zone.  He served a tour in the Pentagon as a Colonel and then retired in 1998 (grandson of Minnie Guernsey).

PAUL ERWIN, U.S. ARMY.  Paul was very active in the Vietnam conflict (son of Georgia Faye Anderson).

GEORGE INNES, U.S. ARMY.  George served during this period 1957-1963.  He was stationed in El Paso and served as a Staff Sergeant  (son of Minnie Guernsey)

APOLOGY…….when I started this blog I did not realize how many of our kinfolk served our nation and what their military records were.

I am positive the facts above need to be edited  and probably I have left out some of our “blood” Guernsey and Anderson veterans.  So, if so, PLEASE email or call me with the facts and I will include the information in a future blog.

 Proud  of our family’s involvement.

Jim Lee