| Birth: | Sep. 15, 1927
Spartanburg
Spartanburg County
South Carolina, USA | | Death: | Oct. 26, 1962, Cuba | 
US Air Force Major, he was shot down and killed while flying over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was the only casualty of the Missile Crisis. The F-86 Super Sabre war plane memorial pictured on this page to Major Rudolf Anderson is not located at his grave in Woodlawn Park Cemetery, but is a memorial to him on Ridgeland Drive in Cleveland Park in Greenville, South Carolina, his adopted town of residence. Cleveland Park is not a cemetery, but is a family park with a nearby zoo. Major Anderson was a senior pilot with over 3,000 hours flying time, of which over 1,000 hours were as a U-2 pilot. He served in the Korean War as a reconnaissance pilot and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two clusters. President John F. Kennedy awarded Major Anderson the Distinguished and the first Air Force Cross posthumously. Major Anderson's shoot down and Supreme Sacrifice was particularly significant in had that not happened, experts of the Cuban Missile Crisis agree that the United States would have stumbled into a cold war. On May 19, 1963, this F-86 Sabre jet, similar to the one which he flew in Korea, was dedicated in his honor and was rededicated on the 35th anniversary, May 19, 1998. The Sabre Jet was Major Anderson's favorite plane to fly. A veteran of the Korean War, Major Anderson's military awards include the Air Force Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters (third award), the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart Medal, the Korean Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star, the National Defense Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal. (bio by: Erik Lander)
Search Amazon for Rudolf Anderson | | | Burial:
Woodlawn Memorial Park
Greenville
Greenville County
South Carolina, USA |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: Erik Lander
Record added: Jun 08, 2003
Find A Grave Memorial# 7553231 |
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