Foothills Air Force Veteran Receives Prestigious Honorary Promotion
Placer County, CA — At the request of Congressman Tom McClintock, a Placer County Veteran, Clarence (Bud) Anderson, has received the honorary promotion to the grade of Brigadier General in the US Air Force.
McClintock recently made the request, along with Congressman Doug LaMalfa, to the Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall.
In a speech just made on the US House Floor, celebrating the promotion, McClintock stated, “Chuck Yeager called him ‘a mongoose, the best fighter pilot I ever saw.’”
McClintock added that General Anderson is “still going strong” at the age of 100.
Providing further history, McClintock’s Office says General Anderson was decorated 25 times during his 30-year military service including two Legions of Merit, Bronze Star, five Distinguished Flying Crosses, the French Legion of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre and is a WWII ‘Triple ACE’ fighter pilot. He flew 116 combat missions with the 357th Fighter Group when he destroyed more than 16 enemy aircraft in aerial combat over Europe. He also served in combat in the Vietnam War, where he commanded the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing.
For his work as a test pilot, General Anderson is also a member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, and recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal for American Fighter ACE’s. Despite retiring from the Air Force in 1972, General Anderson has remained devoted to aviation, has become a published author, and is a sought-out guest speaker. He resides in the Sierra foothills community of Auburn.
