The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Anton Elliott Anderson (NSN: 0-114932), United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight above and beyond the call of duty in the following engagements with the enemy:
(a) 26 August 1943 while engaged in routine search, he sighted a task force of three destroyers 190 miles East of Buka Passage. While closing in to make positive identification, he was subjected to intense heavy caliber anti-aircraft fire from the ships and to attack by 10 Zeros. Despite the opposition, he submitted accurate contact and amplifying reports which were instrumental in the resultant forming of a strike group which later got a direct hit on one of the destroyers (Terutsuki Class). He eluded the fighters and continued his search mission, bringing the flight safely back to its base.
(b) 7 October 1943. While on routine patrol he located an enemy BETTY, and after a lengthy engagement, shot it down into the sea.
(c) 26 October 1943. He commanded a Liberator as a member of a special strike on Kahili Airdrome which rendered that field temporarily inoperative, despite heavy caliber anti-aircraft fire.
(d) 29 October 1943. While on routine patrol, he located and sank an enemy troop barge, fully loaded, near Green Island, and strafed the swimming survivors. On the same patrol he destroyed the enemy barge in Tinputa Harbor, Bougainville Island.
(e) 4 November 1943. While on routine patrol, he received a contact report from the search plane in the adjoining sector and flew to the contact position to assist. He followed the contact plane’s attack on an enemy 10,500-ton AO (NISSYO MARU Class) and scored at least two bomb hits on this ship from mast-head level, despite heavy and light caliber anti-aircraft fire from the other ships in the convoy, including two DD. This action took place approximately 825 miles from his home base. He then returned to his sector and completed his search, bringing his flight safely back to its home base.
(f) 22 November 1943. While on routine patrol, he assisted in the destruction of two enemy barges in St. George’s Channel.