Navy Federal Credit Union

Awards Received

  • Silver Star

    Service:

    United States Navy

    Rank:

    Ensign

    Regiment:

    Armed Guard

    Division:

    S.S. Warrior

    Action Date:

    July 1, 1942

    Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 311 (February 1943)

    The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Ensign Alfred W. Anderson (NSN: 0-95947), United States Naval Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving as Commanding Officer of the United States Navy Armed Guard aboard the S.S. WARRIOR when it was attacked in Caribbean waters, on 1 July 1942. Despite the fact that his ship began settling by the stern immediately after the first explosion, Ensign Anderson remained on board after the crew had abandoned the vessel and with courageous disregard for his own personal safety, continued to man a 3-inch gun from a precarious position on the rapidly sloping deck. When the ship finally up-ended, he lost his footing and fell from the gun platform into the water. By his grim perseverance in those last swift seconds and his unyielding loyalty in the face of imminent, ever-increasing danger, he prevented the full surfacing of the submarine and subsequent possibility of further casualties. Ensign Anderson’s gallant actions and selfless devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.