4 year anniversary of the passing of Sergeant Richard Carl Anderson

4 year anniversary of the passing of Sergeant Richard Carl Anderson

Reported By CW2 L.Kelso January 7

4 years ago today we were hit with the heartbreaking news that our very own Sergeant Richard C. Anderson had passed away. His name is one everyone in the unit knows as the only Medal of honor recipient within the 3rd Infantry Division Realism Unit, but not many people in the unit today even knew the man. Only a handful of our current active duty were in the unit at the time of his passing. On this day we lost a friend but also a son, an uncle, a father, and a grandfather in Richard Anderson



Richard Carl Anderson was born in Quanah, Texas on June 29th, 1956. Growing up, baseball was always something Richard enjoyed. In his early teens, like most southern teenage boys, Richard enjoyed hunting, bull riding and was into motorcycles. One day after Richard graduated from high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps as an 0311 Rifleman where he would serve in the Vietnam War for 2 years. After his time in the USMC, Richard, because of his love for westerns, explored and lived in the western mountains where he would hunt, trap, fish, and even look for gold. Later he would eventually settle down in Granbury, Texas to be near his family.



Being a Retired war vet, Richard had strong values and would tell you how it was. He is described by his peers here as "Genuine" and "Never Complained". He could be found on TeamSpeak playing games like Arma 3 and Americans Army Proving Grounds. It was clear Richard enjoyed unwinding and connecting with his online friends after a long day. Richard was the epitome of a good soldier. He was said to "have Exemplified the qualities that every soldier should strive for, including loyalty, teamwork, and a strong work ethic." His dedication to the unit was unwavering, as Richard Anderson had high attendance and was said to have played Arma 3 while recovering from arm surgery.



On September 30th, 2019, Richard Anderson put in his application for the 3rd ID after hearing about us through Steam to, and I quote, "Play Arma 3 with other vets." After a lengthy 7-day-long enlistment process, Anderson entered our ranks on October 6th, at the rank of Private Trainee (PVT) and was assigned to Alpha Company, First Platoon, First Squad. Anderson did not sit at the PVT rank very long. On October 13th, Anderson graduated from OSUT with flying colors and was an Honor Graduate, graduating at the rank of Private First Class (PFC).



Anderson progressed like anyone in the unit, receiving the NDSM on Nov 3rd. On Nov 19th, Anderson made the move to Squad medic for Scorpions and then, 4 days later, was hired as a Range Safety Officer (RSO) for the Force Improvement Group (FIG). On December 8th, Richard would join the E4 mafia and become a specialist. Later in the month, on Dec. 15th, Richard would make the move to the second squad to continue his career as a Squad Medic here in the unit. That same day, he would complete the CLS course and Complete Air Assault School. On January 5th, The 3rd ID held their monthly Ceremony where Richard was awarded the good conduct medal and was awarded the Air Assault Badge.



Two days after the ceremony, On January 7th, 2020, Richard Carl Anderson passed away. It wasn't until later that the unit was hit by the devastating news. On February 21st, Richard Anderson retired and then on March 8th, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant and would receive the Medal of Honor, becoming the only person to receive the award in the 3rd Infantry Division Realism Unit.



We are honored to have been part of Sergeant Richard Anderson’s life and shall never forget SGT Anderson and the person he was.

Semper Fidelis, Richard Carl Anderson