Page 36 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine
P. 36
Robert Anderson
“Mr. Farwell”
by Will Anderson
the old horse-drawn “French 75” The war in Europe ended two
cannon on which he had trained months later and the 82nd was
as a cadet. told it would be transferred to
the Pacific in the battle against
The young soldier was Japan. Before the embarkation
transferred to Fort Meade, was completed, however,
Maryland, to join the 13th President Harry Truman gave
Airborne Division Glider Corps. the order to drop the newly
Each glider delivered two pilots developed atomic bomb.
and a squad of 14 infantrymen
(or one Jeep) for combat behind After Nagasaki’s destruction,
enemy lines. the Japanese Emperor overruled
his General Staff and accepted
Anderson’s company was all the terms for Unconditional
transferred to the 82nd Airborne, Surrender, ending WW II.
landing in La Havre, France, Anderson and his fellow soldiers
shortly after the D-Day invasion. transferred to Fort Bragg,
For ten months the infantrymen North Carolina. Anderson was
packed their way across France discharged in January 1946 and
obert William “Bob” in the mud, relieved by rare began the long trek home by
Anderson was born lifts on old WW I era railroad train.
RNov. 6, 1924, in Deming, boxcars, each of which could
New Mexico. His family only accommodate 36 soldiers or It stopped at the small depot
moved shortly thereafter to the eight horses. in Texico, New Mexico in
communities on the state line – the middle of the night, and
Farwell, Texas and Texico, New Just after midnight in March Anderson was the only man who
Mexico – where his father, Gabe, 1945, the soldiers were alerted stepped off onto the platform
established the Security State
Bank.
Graduating at the age of 16 from
Farwell High School in May
1941, Anderson began his college
education at Texas A&M College,
as a cadet in that military
school. One month after his 17th
birthday, the Japanese Imperial
Navy attacked the U.S. military
installations in Hawaii.
Every Aggie cadet volunteered
immediately for active duty, but
at 17 Anderson was too young out of their tents and told to with his Army duffel bag on
to qualify. He was assigned to report for the first assault into his shoulder. He waved to his
continue his classes at A&M Germany itself. Then word came buddies as the train rolled out of
until his 18th birthday. At that to stand down because Gen. the station, and then he turned
point Anderson was assigned George Patton’s Third Army had around to a big surprise. His old
to Artillery, training for the 105 already pushed three miles past dog, with some uncanny sense of
Howitzer, quite a step up from the planned drop zone.
36 Lubbock Senior Link
