World War II veteran's harrowing tale recalled

(Editor's note: Clara Tucker of McClure shared a special story about an area veteran. Excerpts from the story, which was written by Shannon Woodworth, follow.)

Veterans Day is an occasion to salute war veterans like Jesse Earl Anderson, one of only 453 soldiers to survive a prisoner-of-war death march during World War II.

Anderson, of McClure, recounted the march. He said he lost 100 pounds, it claimed the lives of 3,601 comrades and lasted three months.

Anderson's wife, Ruth, who had been married to him for eight months when he was captured by German forces, stood by as her husband spoke about his horrible and heroic war memories.

Anderson was in his early 20s when he had fought 93 straight days during a commando mission. He was six miles through German lines and had only one mission left before he would be allowed a few days off. The day before he was to go back to U.S. troops, he was captured by the Germans.

"The Germans captured me towards the first of October in 1944," Anderson stated. "They transported prisoners in railroad boxcars. They'd just pack us in there as tight as they could, and sometimes we'd go days without even a drink of water."

He said: "To keep us from being recaptured by our allies, the Russians, they (the Germans) lined us up and started marching us. It was told that there was 4,054 who began the march on Feb. 26, 1945, and it ended on April 13, 1945, with only 453 survivors. I thank God I was one of them."

Anderson said it was impossible to survive the death march, but God and a few good friends helped his struggle for survival.

Faith and an ability to write things down helped to keep him alive. Anderson also wrote poetry during the march.

The roughest part, he said, was seeing comrades fall to the ground, only to hear the discharge of a rifle when they were shot by the enemy.

The end of the march came, Anderson said, one day when the Germans had hid them in a barn. He said he saw an American Piper Club flying nearby.

Anderson and his comrades ran out of the  barn, "ripped off our clothes and made the letter P. The pilot saw it and made a victory roll. American forces had already started moving in and the Germans knew it was just a matter of time."

Anderson, a Purple Heart recipient, emphasized that his story was just a brief summary of what many American soldiers suffered during World War II.

"I survived," said Anderson. "I  think all veterans, dead or alive, need to be saluted no matter what war they may have fought in."