Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson was born January 13, 1922 in Oakland, CA and was reared on a farm near Newcastle, CA. In high school he played football and basketball. He was introduced to aviation at Oakland Municipal Airport and was working at the Sacramento Air Depot when the Japanese attended Pearl Harbor. In January of 1942, Anderson enlisted in the United States Army as an aviation cadet. He completed primary flight training in Lindbergh Field, San Diego and Advanced Training at Luke Field Arizona. Anderson received his wings and commission as a second Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces at Hamilton Field CA, in September 1942. He began flying at numerous Flying Fields throughout the United States and was deployed to England in November of 1943. Anderson flew with the 357th Fighter Group in a P-51 Mustang, flying his first mission February 5, 1944. On March 3, 1944 he shot down his first Messerschmitt Bf 109 and continued to score aerial victories until he shot down a BF 109 over Frankfurt, his fifth aerial victory, thus making him a flying ace. Anderson continued to score aerial victories, scoring his final victory on December 4, 1944 when he shot down two Fw 190s over Berlin. Anderson flew two tours of combat against the Luftwaffe in Europe and was the group's third leading ace with 16 1/4 aerial victories. He flew a total of 116 missions without being hit by fire from enemy aircraft and without having to turn back for any reason. He flew his P-51 Mustang that was nicknamed "Old Crow". After the war Anderson married and had two children. On 2 December, 2022, Bud was given an honorary promotion to Brigadier General at the Aerospace Museum of California. Courtesy of Wikipedia and To Fly and Fight.com