AL ANDERSON
Age: 88
Hometown: Monterey Park
Residence: Palm Desert
Military branch: U.S. Navy; USS Converse DD509, Destroyer Squadron 23, the “Little Beaver” Squadron; USS Lander
Years served: April, 1942- September 1946
Rank: Radioman second class
Family: Fiancee Joanne; two children, Ronnie (Susan) Anderson of Upland and Gina Turner of Maricopa, Ariz.; three grandchildren; one great-grandchild.
About this series
Staff writer Denise Goolsby will profile desert veterans from World War II Wednesday through Sunday through the end of 2010 — the 65th anniversary of the end of the war. Contact her at (760) 778-4587 or via e-mail at denise.goolsby@thedesertsun.com
Coming tomorrow
U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Bernie Peters of Indio.
More
U.S. Navy veteran Al Anderson fought in 11 major battles in the Pacific, bombarding islands and protecting aircraft carriers as a member of one of the hardest-working squadrons in the U.S. fleet.
Radioman Second Class Anderson served aboard the destroyer USS Converse — part of Destroyer Squadron 23, under the command of Naval hero Admiral Arleigh Burke — known as “31-knot Burke” for his reputation of pushing his squadron's ships to maximum speed during combat operations.
The squadron was awarded a group Presidential Unit Citation for its record under then-Commodore Burke over a 17-week period at the close of the Solomon Islands campaign.
“We were the busiest squadron in the fleet,” Anderson said. “That's why they called us the ‘Little Beavers.'”
From Oct. 23, 1943, when Burke took over command, through Feb. 23, 1944, the “Little Beavers” are credited with sinking one cruiser, nine destroyers, one submarine and several smaller ships and destroying approximately 30 aircraft as well as inflicting much damage via shore bombardment, according to Destroyer Squadron 23 records.
During one of these missions, Anderson shot down a Japanese Zero fighter plane that was preparing to attack the fleet.
“We were screening an aircraft carrier,” he said. “My gun was the only gun that could train on it. He was only about 50 feet above the water.”
Anderson fired his 20mm anti-aircraft gun and knocked the plane out of the sky.
In the heat of battle, he just focused on doing his job.
“At the time, you weren't scared when all the guns were going off,” he said. “Then afterwards, you realize what you've been through.”
Surveying all the empty ammunition shells scattered on the deck, “you realized how close you came to getting it,” he said.
“Okinawa was the worst I had ever seen,” he said. “The kamikazes: You didn't know if you were going to get hit or not,” Anderson said. “It was the scariest part” of the war.
The USS Converse came dangerously close to being blown up, Anderson said.
“A 500-pound bomb went under our port side,” he said.
The blast damaged parts of the ship, but since it wasn't a direct hit, the men were able to repair the ship relatively quickly.
All aboard the ship were shaken by the explosion, according to official reports.
“When the ship came out of the water (as a result of the blast) it was vibrating,” violently, Anderson said.
Anderson said his best memories of the war years was the time he stayed at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu.
During the war, the hotel was closed to the public. Instead, it was used as a place for rest and relaxation for sailors, including submarine and destroyer sailors.
“I got to stay at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for a week for 25 cents a night,” he said.
The minimal charge was for linens, he said.
Anderson liked attending the dances, where Artie Shaw's band was playing while he was in town.
“There were about 50 sailors to every girl, but I got to dance a little bit,” he said with a grin.
For entertainment back at the ship, Anderson and his buddies listened to Tokyo Rose spout propaganda and spin tunes.
She'd try to make the sailors homesick so they'd give up and return to the States.
“She'd say, ‘Why don't you go back home to your wives?'” Anderson said. “She played Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey. We enjoyed that. She played good music — American music.”
