Norman Anderson was born in Brush, Colorado on 4 October 1923. His parents were Ira and Marjorie (Lindburg) Anderson; Norman was the eldest child, followed by Beatrice, Paul, and Douglas.

Norman grew up in Greeley, Colorado and as a youth delivered papers for the Greeley Daily Tribune. He graduated from the local high school in 1941, and went to work on his grandfather’s farm in Snyder. He was employed as a farmhand when the war broke out, and registered for Selective Service in the summer of 1942.

Norman traveled to Denver, Colorado to enlist in the Marine Corps on 10 December 1942. He was sent to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego for boot camp, and was briefly assigned to the 24th Marines at Camp Pendleton in the spring of 1943. Anderson took advanced infantry training at Camp Elliott during the summer months, and shipped out for the Pacific as a member of the 28th Replacement Battalion.

Private Anderson arrived in Noumea on 1 October 1943; five days later, he was assigned to C/1/3rd Marines and joined the Second Platoon under 2Lt. Harris S. White.

At the end of October 1943, Anderson and Charlie Company boarded the USS President Adams for transit to a new beachhead at Cape Torokina on the island of Bougainville.

On the morning of 1 November 1943, C/1/3rd Marines boarded their landing craft from the Adams. Norman Anderson boarded Boat 21, which carried two squads of 2 Platoon, a detachment from Headquarters Company, and a demolition squad from the 19th Marines.

The landing was stiffly opposed by the Japanese defenders ashore, and a number of Adams landing craft were hit before reaching shore. Boat #21, in the third wave, took the most punishment. Three 75mm shells slammed through the ramp in quick succession, killing or wounding most of the Marines aboard as well as members of the boat crew.

Boat #21 careened up onto the beach, where five Marines managed to escape over the side. A member of the Adams shore party took command, backed the boat off the beach, and headed towards the transports at top speed. As the boat filled with water, those still able to move struggled to put on life jackets.

The wrecked boat finally sank at an unspecified point near Puruata Island. One sailor and five Marines were rescued from the water; the rest, including Anderson, were lost at sea.

Private Norman Anderson was reported as missing in action “after initial landing” on Bougainville. He was officially declared dead on 2 November 1944.

“After the first shell hit, the men in the forward part of the boat fell back toward the center as if a big wave had pushed them over. A shell fragment from the second hit me in the left thigh. The boat grounded, and I started over the side. It was an awful mess. Bloody men pulled themselves off the deck and forced themselves over the side. One man had part of his back blown off. Everyone kept hold of his rifle. Some of them only had half a rifle. The water was up to my chin. As I hit the sand I looked back and saw that Smith wasn’t going to make it; he had a wound in his head. He was one of my boys. I went back, pulled him in, and dragged him behind a coconut log.”
Sergeant Dick K. McAllister, C/1/3


“Of the eight boats in the third wave, Boat #21 received three 75mm hits through the ramp just prior to hitting the beach. Five Marines were seen to climb out over the side, the remainder were killed or wounded. NICKELS (coxswain) and BALSCHUESMAN (bowman) jumped off stern of boat and were picked up by Boat #10. A member of the beach party, F1c Gilbert VARRIA backed boat #21 off the beach. The majority of the Marines embarked were wounded or killed. CM3 Raymond SCAPPAROTTA and MoMM2c Harvey PETERSON of the Ship’s Company were killed or wounded. VARRIA operated the boat at the highest speed away from the beach. It was filling rapidly. A few Marines were able to move to put on life jackets. This boat sank after passing between Puruata and Torokina Islands. In all, five Marines and VARRIA were the only ones saved….”
Action Report of Torokina Point Landings, USS President Adams, 1 November 1943

CENOTAPHS
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
Linn Grove Cemetery, Greeley, CO

Private Anderson shares a memorial stone with his parents and his younger brother, Douglas, who died in a Navy aircraft accident in 1957. Douglas’ remains were never recovered.