Larry Michael Anderson

Spencer native Larry Michael Anderson served in the Army as an infantryman when he was killed on October 17, 1967. PFC Anderson was sent to South Vietnam in May 1967 with the 1st Infantry Division, or Big Red 1. In October 1967 the North Vietnamese forces infiltrated the south with the goal of inflicting mass casualties on U.S. personnel. On the morning of the 17th, during the 1st Infantry Division’s Operation Shenandoah II, a small group of Americans were ambushed by a larger enemy force. PFC Anderson and 58 other Americans were killed during the firefight. The 19-year-old Iowan was buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Spencer.