ERLING A ANDERSON
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HONORED ON PANEL 22E, LINE 35 OF THE WALL

ERLING ALTON ANDERSON

WALL NAME

ERLING A ANDERSON

PANEL / LINE

22E/35

DATE OF BIRTH

01/05/1945

CASUALTY PROVINCE

KONTUM

DATE OF CASUALTY

06/22/1967

HOME OF RECORD

EAU CLAIRE

COUNTY OF RECORD

Chippewa County

STATE

WI

BRANCH OF SERVICE

ARMY

RANK

PFC

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Contact Details

REMEMBRANCES

LEFT FOR ERLING ALTON ANDERSON
POSTED ON 5.3.2021
POSTED BY: john fabris

honoring you...

“Let us not so much mourn nor grieve
for these men that died,
But rather rejoice and thank God that
such great men ever lived.”
~ Gen. George S. Patton
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POSTED ON 1.5.2020
POSTED BY: Dennis Wriston

I'm proud of our Vietnam Veterans

Private First Class Erling Alton Anderson, Served with the 39th Infantry Platoon (Scout Dog), 173rd Airborne Brigade, United States Army Vietnam.
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POSTED ON 10.18.2018
POSTED BY: jerry sandwisch wood cty.ohio vietnam vet 1969-70 army 173rd abn bde

You are not forgotten

The war may be forgotten but the warrior will always be remembered. All gave Some-Some gave All. Rest in peace Sky Soldier.
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POSTED ON 6.19.2018
POSTED BY: Mike Switzer

Tribute to Sky Soldier

On behalf of those who served with you in the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) and all who followed, we offer our respect and remembrance of your ultimate sacrifice. May you never be forgotten and your family and friends take comfort in your valor in servin
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POSTED ON 2.12.2018

Final Mission of PFC Erling A. Anderson

On June 19-20, 1967, Sky Soldiers of the 2/503rd were lifted by helicopter into the hills near Dak To in Kontum Province, RVN, “to make their presence known” and conduct search and destroy operations. Army intelligence reports had told of an enemy force in the area using mortar and rocket fire directed towards a nearby Special Forces camp. During the two-day operation, no contact was made with enemy forces. On June 21st, Company A, 2/503rd, set up a night defensive perimeter (NDP) about half way up Hill 1338, and cut out a landing zone (LZ) for the evening resupply chopper. A Company later received a radio call instructing them to return to Dak To proper (basecamp) the next day to rest up and recover. About a half an hour after daybreak the next morning, 1st Squad of 2nd Platoon took the point and headed down the ridge. The route, a well-used trail with steps cut into it, was chosen by the company commander and would have them back to basecamp by 3:00 PM. The mountain ridge finger they descended was steep on either side and muddy after several days of rain. The morning air was thick and cool, with a moist, dense fog in the heavy foliage under the triple-canopy jungle. At 6:58 AM, the seven-man squad had travelled about 200 meters when the point man fired his M16 and the squad leader behind him a M79 grenade launcher at some North Vietnamese Army soldiers they had seen. The shooting lasted for 10 seconds or so. Some reports later claimed this was an enemy ambush, however, a radio report from 1LT Donald R. Judd, 2nd Platoon Leader, indicated that it was a chance encounter. The squad grouped behind a clump of bamboo trees in a semi-circle as enemy fire was directed at their position. After 20 minutes of sniper fire and rounds coming in from the left flank, the squad had three wounded, one seriously in the neck. The squad pulled back up the hill and rejoined the rest of 2nd platoon. The A Company commander called in artillery to help support their movement, and sent a medic to the sound of battle. First Platoon sent a four-man detail with additional ammunition and a machine gun to the besieged 2nd Platoon. As they set up their two M60 machine guns, a NVA battalion-sized force suddenly appeared with its all its firepower. The engagement was not with the usual ill-trained Viet Cong similar to what the Sky Soldiers had confronted in the past, but instead well-trained and equipped NVA regulars. The Americans set out smoke grenades to mark their location for an air strike. However, this helped the enemy to locate their position and concentrate their small arms, mortar, and rocket attacks on them. At 7:05 AM, 3rd Platoon linked up with 2nd Platoon, and a V-shaped perimeter was established with 2nd Platoon on the west and 3rd Platoon on the east. At 8:10 AM, the first wave of NVA attacked and were repulsed; however, they came again and again for the next half an hour. The two platoons were attacked from all sides, except for behind them up hill towards the Company Command Post (CP). The Forward Observer with A Company brought the artillery in to within 35 meters, and then stopped for an airstrike. Jets dropped 500lb. bombs along the east side of the ridge, and napalm was dropped to the north side of the perimeter. Helicopter gunships arrived to find low clouds, smoke, and overhead jungle canopy masking the enemy positions. When the NVA fired up at the helicopters, their tracer rounds gave away their location. The helicopter gunships then used rockets and 7.62mm machine guns on the enemy. Because the NVA were in such close contact, a pilot reported possibly having inflicted some unintended friendly casualties. Over the course of the day, helicopters brought in supplies and lifted B Company troops in to support A Company. At 8:50 AM, 1LT Judd reported a company-sized assault was coming from the northwest. The NVA attacked in three waves while screaming and firing their weapons, but each time were held off from completely overrunning 2nd and 3rd Platoons. An American survivor of the battle recalled, “With each exchange of gunfire from the NVA, we answered with less volume of return fire. Of course, this meant we were taking casualties at an alarming rate.” By 10:00 AM, the two platoons were down to 15 effective fighters, with both platoon leaders, 1LT Judd and 1LT Richard E. Hood Jr. killed, and the platoon sergeants wounded, several times. At 10:34 AM, all radio communication was lost. Outnumbered and surrounded, the Sky Soldiers were running out of ammunition and fighting for their lives. The M60 machineguns overheated, the barrels glowing and warped, making them inoperable. The 2nd Platoon sergeant ordered the men to grab the wounded, weapons, and ammo, and get back up the hill to the CP. Some low-crawled their way out under fire, while others retrieved fallen comrades, some already dead, still hoping they might be able to save them. When this small group of survivors joined the troops of the Company CP, the total disposition of the company was about 35 wounded and 30 effective. The A Company commander moved his CP further back up the hill to a small knoll and set up a defensive perimeter in a small clearing. Two more enemy assaults were attempted on the CP at 12:20 PM and again at 12:45 PM, followed by sporadic small arms fire. B Company was held up in coming to the aid of A Company when they came into contact with a NVA platoon. C Company was also delayed, moving through dense jungle with their wounded and dead, finally linking up at 2:20 PM. They assisted in clearing a landing zone and retrieving the wounded while under sniper fire. What remained of Company A was extracted from the area to the Brigade basecamp at 6:50 PM. When they got back, a formation for a head count was conducted. Normally 137 Sky Soldiers would be present. There were only 33 men standing in formation. Second Platoon had three squads with just one man standing in each of them. The next day, both B and C Companies linked up to clear the battlefield and police the area for all members of their units. They discovered a horrendous situation committed by the NVA. Over half the KIA's (43 personnel) had suffered head wounds inflicted at close range, indicating that the NVA had executed the wounded during the night. The atrocities committed by NVA were never reported to the American public, although the media were aware of it having taken place. The Sky Soldiers suffered 77 losses on June 22, 1967. They included PFC Terry L. Allen, PFC Erling A. Anderson, PFC James Arnold, PFC William J. Boehm, 1LT Ervin L. Burns, PFC Albert Butler Jr., PFC Darrell W. Butts, PFC Carlin M. Campbell Jr., SP4 Ronald C. Clark, PFC Thorne M. Clark III, SP4 Jack L. Cripe, SP4 Lloyd D. DeLoach, PFC Lester M. DeRiso, SP4 Charles O. Deedrick Jr., SP4 Thomas A. Deschenes, PFC Thomas B. Duffy Jr., PFC Timothy J. Egan, SGT James R. Emmert, SP4 Russell W. Engle, SP4 Bobby L. Finney, SP4 Burrell Gibson, PFC Kenneth L. Greene, PFC David J. Heller, SGT Alvin G. Hill, PFC Doyle Holcomb, 1LT Richard E. Hood Jr., SP4 Vins R. Hooper, SGT David E. Johnson, SGT Harry J. Johnson, SP4 Richard B. Johnston, Richard J. Johnston, 1LT 1LT Donald R. Judd, SGT Stephen A. Kelly, SSGT Kenneth K. Lima, PFC Frederick H. Liminga, PSGT Robert R. Litwin, SP4 Jimmy C. Lowry, SP4 Gary A. Luttrell, PFC Walter C. Mayer, 1LT Ellis A. McBride Jr., PFC William S. McBroom, SP4 Frank McCray Jr., SP4 John H. McEachin Jr., PFC Stephen A. Mika, PFC Donald M. Munden, PFC William A. Munn, PFC Timothy J. Murphy, PFC Daniel L. Negro, PFC Jerry L. Noe, SP4 Michael D. O’Connor, PFC George Patton, SGT John P. Patton, PFC George A. Poor Jr., SP4 Leonard B. Poore, SP4 Robert L. Preddy, PFC Floyd E. Quarles, SP4 Ralph J. Rizzi, PFC Trine Romero Jr., PFC Hector M. Saenz, PFC James W. Sanford, PFC Warren H. Schrobilgen Jr., 2LT Jeffrey R. Sexton, SP4 John Sharber Jr., SP4 Lloyd E. Smith, PFC Charles H. Snow, PFC Johnson A. Steidler, SGT David A. Stephens, PFC David R. Stephenson, PFC Robert L. Stevens Jr., PFC Fa’asaviliga V. Tafao, SP4 Larry B. Turner, PFC Daniel V. Valdez, PFC Charlie L. Walker, SP4 Willie C. Warren, PFC Michael J. Waterman, PFC Edwin J. Williams, and SP4 Alexander C. Zsigo Jr. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, charliesnow.com, and other web-based sources]
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