From the Civil War to the Gulf War, hundreds of men and women of Beloit have answered their country’s call to service. Among the hundreds of young men and women of Beloit who have honorably served our Nation, some never to return home, stands out one who gave of himself beyond the call of duty. That man was Beauford T. Anderson, who earned his nation’s highest award for personal bravery, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Beauford T. Anderson enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942.

On April 13, 1945, as a Staff Sergeant serving in Company A, 381^st Infantry Regiment of the 96^th Infantry Division in the battle for Okinawa, he performed a feat of valor that earned him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads: “When a powerful conducted predawn Japanese counterattack struck his unit’s flank, he ordered his men to take cover in an old tomb and then, armed only with a carbine, faced the onslaught alone. After emptying one magazine at pointblank range into their screaming attackers, he seized an enemy mortar dud and threw it back among the charging Japanese, killing several as it burst. Securing a box of mortar shells, he extracted the safety pins, banged the bases upon a rock to arm them and proceeded alternatively to hurl shells and fire his piece among the fanatical foe, finally forcing them to with draw.

Despite the protests of his comrades and bleeding profusely from a severe shrapnel wound, he made his way to his company commander to report the action. SSG Anderson’s intrepid conduct in the face of overwhelming odds, accounted for 25 enemy killed and several machineguns and mortars destroyed, thus single-handedly removing a serious threat to the company’s flank.” The Medal of Honor was given to Beauford Anderson by President Harry Truman on Memorial Day, 1946. In addition to this medal, he was also, during his service, awarded the Bronze Star medal with Clusters and Purple Heart with Clusters.

Returning to Beloit, his wife Phyllis Bouchard Anderson and his son, James, then age 6, he was honored by his community with a “Beauford Anderson Day”. He decided to re-enlist in the Army and commenced a distinguished career reaching the rank of Master Sergeant, before his medical discharge and then continued to serve in the Army Reserve as a Warrant Officer. Retiring to Seaside, California, his military service over, he commenced service to his community, serving on the City Council, as Mayor and as a county supervisor on the Santa Licia Board of Supervisors. A modest man who seldom discussed his wartime experiences, his exploits have been recalled in a full chapter of the book “Typhoon of Steel” written by W.M. Belote, dealing with the Battle of Okinawa during World War II.