by Bob Alvis
special to Aerotech News
When Veterans Day comes around, we think about our families and friends who served and sacrificed in each of America’s wars and in peacetime.
I’m always looking for stories of inspiration with a tug at the heart, and I believe many times God is looking over my shoulder and guides me to the story I need to share. This story I will share is definitely one of those that I came across in an old hometown publication from the 1960s.
The Antelope Valley had its share of soldiers serving in the Vietnam War and we have heard countless stories of heroism, sacrifice and loss. There were also heartbreaking stories of those who returned home but never left those battlefields behind in their minds. Many times, it’s the stories of war that make the heroes stand out, but every once in awhile a story emerges that has nothing to do with guns and bombs, but rather shows a path into the human spirit in wartime.
When Marine recruit John Anderson left Lancaster, Calif., to put his shoes on the painted feet at the induction center, little did he know his contribution to the war effort would be less about the enemy, and more about the people who ended up as collateral damage.
Never knowing John, but reading about him, I can tell he was raised with a moral compass that would guide him to doing his best for others who needed help in one way or another. Here in the Antelope Valley, living in his average middle-American home, John always looked out for his younger brother and the kids in his neighborhood. When John arrived in South Vietnam in the war-torn city of Chu Lai the children who greeted him were anything but an enjoyable sight.
Almost immediately, the plight of all the orphans living in the streets came to rest on the shoulders of John. This was an activity which he requested and handled after completing the routine duties of a Marine in a combat zone.
It wasn’t long until John’s mom, Mrs. Anderson, received a letter from her son outlining the sad situation of these youngsters and requesting that she urge the people of the Antelope Valley to contribute much-needed articles to these children, many of whom had no clothes at all.
John’s mother had recently joined the newly formed Antelope Valley Marine Corps Auxiliary, so it was her own son who set the stage for the first big project of the auxiliary. Mrs. Anderson contacted Mr. Marvin Brown, a state officer of the league who resided in Lancaster and soon “Operation Marine Anderson” was well on its way.
Barrels for depositing clothing were placed in locations across the Antelope Valley, and local radio stations and newspapers donated time and space to inform the public of the activities and drop-off locations where people could donate. General interest was so great that in a very short while 500 pounds of clothing had been collected. The garments were sorted and packaged by the women of the auxiliary, and Mr. Brown took the boxes addressed to Pfc. John Anderson to the El Toro Marine Corps Air Wing, where they were put on a plane and flown to South Vietnam.
As the program grew, money started to show up and Mrs. Anderson started to add simple things like chewing gum, baby food, stuffed animals, and candy. But it was the clothing and shoes that really made a difference in the quality of life for those Vietnamese kids.
As Mrs. Anderson was going about the program it gave her great pride to participate in “Operation Marine Anderson”, because she knew she was sorting and packing boxes that halfway around the world her son would be unpacking.
What one private first class in Lancaster had started would live on long past John’s service. When his deployment ended other Marines stepped up to carry on with Operation Marine Anderson. Over time the operation grew to include other counties, all the way up San Francisco. Amazingly it also grew to include requests for dog food to feed the many dogs left abandoned on the streets.
This Veterans Day, we take the time to remember and honor, but many times people do not realize that “remember and honor” are not always reserved for those who carried weapons. They are also for those who carried the heart and soul of caring soldiers. Soldiers like John, who in the middle of war, saw a need as children suffered. He called out to his hometown to please help him bring some of American childhood here, and do for these suffering children as we would for the children in our own hometown.
“Operation Marine Anderson:” just a small part of the children of the Antelope Valley’s spirit and all the citizens who stepped up and filled that void with love.
