CITATION FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS

WILFORD C. ANDERSON, Staff Sergeant, Company "C", 5l7th Parachute Infantry. For extraordinary heroism in action on 18 June l944, near Grosetto, Italy, in executing an attack on strongly fortified enemy positions, Sergeant Anderson’s company found itself deployed by platoons along the military crest of a ridge, and receiving heavy small arms and mortar fire from the foot of the hill. Accompanied by a Private, Sergeant Anderson voluntarily moved forward into enemy resistance 200 hundred yards ahead of his platoon, captured five Germans who were part of a mortar crew, silenced a machine gun, and returned to the lines with the prisoners. Though momentarily pinned down by machine gun fire, Sergeant Anderson and his companion moved into enemy territory again and once more returned with a group of prisoners. Sergeant Anderson then proceeded to the machine gun he had previously silenced and opened fire on a group of the enemy, killing six, wounding four and silencing another active machine gun. Joining forces with the Private once more, Sergeant Anderson again crawled to the enemy lines and withdrew with four more prisoners when friendly artillery fire made his position untenable. By his courageous acts Sergeant Anderson made possible the capture of nineteen German prisoners, the killing and wounding of ten more, and acted as an inspiration to all those with whom he served.

Mr. Anderson resides in California.