Rep. Phil Roe (right) presented Dana Anderson and his wife Doris with a Congressional Gold Medal as well as a medal from the people of France during a ceremony at Mountain Home National Cemetery on Tuesday morning. PHOTO BY DAVE ONGIE
Anderson served in World War II in the 801st/492nd Bombardment Group, also called Carpetbaggers. This vital group was a part of the U.S. Army Air Forces that provided supplies and weapons to resistance fighters in France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.
Anderson also served in the air arm of Office of Strategic Services, the World War II predecessor to the CIA, and the U.S. Special Operations Command.
As Anderson and his wife Doris looked on, Roe recounted Anderson’s heroics, which included many parachute jumps made behind enemy lines from just 400 feet off the ground.
“To read what these men did, those guys were crazy,” Roe said. “What they did would make James Bond look like a first-grader. It’s amazing that in three years of doing this, they didn’t have a plane shot down. That shows you the bravery of these men.”
