Early Life

Anderson was born 19 April 1919 in Bentley, Oklahoma to Jim Egbert and Ethel, he had 2 brothers, Willie and Emmit and 2 sisters, Clair, Eleana, all Mississippi Choctaw citizens.

Education

Anderson finished grammar school and went to work at one of the many CCC Camps. The 1940 census shows Anderson Jim working at the Willow Springs Indian Civilian Conservation Camp in Missouri as a laborer.

(Wikipedia): "The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men. Originally for young men ages 18–25, it was eventually expanded to ages 17–28…The CCC was a major part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal that provided unskilled manual labor jobs related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands owned by federal, state, and local governments. The CCC was designed to provide jobs for young men and to relieve families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression in the United States. Maximum enrollment at any one time was 300,000. Through the course of its nine years in operation, 3 million young men participated in the CCC, which provided them with shelter, clothing, and food, together with a wage of $30 (about $570 in 2017) per month ($25 of which had to be sent home to their families)"

Military

Anderson Jim enlisted in the Army at Atoka, Oklahoma on 16 Sept 1940 and was assigned to Co. B, 180th Infantry of the 45th Division #20828083, ‘The Thunderbirds’

PFC. Anderson Jim was one of the many young men sent overseas to engage in the Sicilian Campaign ‘Operation Husky’, where he was KIA (killed in action) on 10 Jul 1943. Pfc. Jim is interred at the Bentley Indian Cemetery in Bentley, Oklahoma.

Pfc. Jim was awarded the following citations:

Purple Heart, WWII Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, American Presidential Unit Citation and the Army Good Conduct Medal.

Bibliography:

Indian Citizen Democrat Newspaper – Atoka, OK 3 Feb 1944 War Service Draws Crowd - Newspapers.com

The Daily Oklahoman – 18 Sep 1943 – Five State Soldiers Killed In Action - Newspapers.com

WWII Army Enlistment Records – 1938-1946 Ancestry

1940 Census Oklahoma - Ancestry

Bentley Indian Cemetery – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52039188/anderson-jim

Honor States

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Written for the Stories Behind The Stars Project, https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/ with the goal of honoring all 400,000 American service men and women who sacrificed their lives during World War II. This writer places emphasis on the 45th Infantry Division out of Oklahoma.

This profile was written by Linda Simpson. I have been an avid genealogist, researching my ancestry in Canada, France, Belgium, and Ireland for over 40 years. I am also a historian for The Seminole Nation, Indian Territory, and The Past Whispers. _When I saw an article on Don’s project I knew I wanted to be a part of Stories Behind the Stars. What an amazing way to honor our fallen, by ‘Earning It’ for them._

Pfc. Anderson Jim