- SURNAME
Anderson
- FORENAME
Anthony C. (Tony/Fast Eddie)
- UNIT
5 SF Group (MACV-SOG) (Task Force Advisory Element 1) (RT Kansas)
- RANK
Sergeant
- NUMBER
- AWARD
Distinguished Service Cross
- PLACE
South Vietnam 1971
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
WIA 7.8.1971 South Vietnam
surname Andersen in some accounts
CITATION:
Distinguished Service Cross : The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant Anthony C. Anderson, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, attached to the United States Army Vietnam Training Advisory Group (TF1AE), U.S. Army Vietnam Training Support Headquarters. Sergeant Anderson distinguished himself on 7 August 1971 while serving as the assistant leader of a small reconnaissance team operating deep within enemy territory. On that date, his small team came under assault by enemy heavy small arms, automatic weapons, mortar, and rocket fire. Sergeant Anderson returned such a volume of M-60 machine gun fire that he single-handedly drove the assaulting enemy force back. While the enemy was regrouping, he quickly placed his team members in strategic locations to ward off the inevitable attack. During the ensuing battle, he expertly directed his portion of the team in returning heavy suppressive fire while he returned a deadly volume of machine gun fire himself. He then returned a heavy barrage of hand grenade fire upon the advancing enemy force in an attempt to repel their assault. As the enemy force threw hand grenades at his position, Sergeant Anderson began picking the grenades up and throwing them back. Although wounded by an enemy grenade, he led his portion of the team in returning a volume of fire upon the enemy force, successfully gaining fire superiority and driving them back once again. When his team leader had been fatally wounded, Sergeant Anderson assumed command of the team and ordered them to prepare for extraction, providing them with heavy cover fire. With the aid of air strikes, the small team successfully suppressed the heavy enemy fire to sporadic shots. Sergeant Anderson then remained on the ground providing the extraction craft and the remainder of the team with heavy cover fire before he himself was extracted. His bravery and expert leadership abilities were directly responsible for repelling the repeated enemy assaults and preventing the enemy force from overrunning his entire team. Sergeant Anderson's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
WEB LINKS:
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/4964
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