Andy Anderson and his future bride Bonnie

Andy Anderson before shipping out

Herbert 'Andy' Anderson served with the 348th Engineer Combat Battalion, which was part of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade of the U.S. Army. He landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and served as a machine gunner. He remained there for a few months to help turn the desolated beach into a bustling port to supply troops with much needed supplies and ammunition.

After the beachhead was established at Normandy, Anderson and his unit helped build roads and handle the supplies for all the divisions that were fighting their way across France. He also helped repair the docks at the strategic port of Cherbourg, France, so they could be used by the Allies.

In December, Herbert Anderson and his squad were shipped by truck to Belgium to support troops in the Battle of the Bulge. His war ended at the Elbe River, where on April 25, 1945, Soviet and American troops met, near the town of Torgau in Germany.