Clarence. E. Anderson was a World War II fighter ace and veteran military test pilot. He flew more than 100 different types of aircraft and logged 7,000 flight hours.
He served two tours of combat during World War II, escorting heavy bombers over Europe in the P51 Mustang. He chalked up 116 combat missions and destroyed 16 1/4 enemy aircraft in aerial combat.
Anderson had extensive experience in flight testing of military aircraft. At Wright Patterson AFB, he was a fighter test pilot and Chief of Fighter Operations. Later at the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, he was Chief of Flight Test Operations and Deputy Director of Flight Test. From 1972-84 he served as Manager of the McDonnell Aircraft Company's Flight Test Facility at Edwards AFB.
During his 30 years of military service, his assignments included duty as: F-86 Squadron Commander in post-war Korea, Commander of an F-105 Wing in Okinawa during the Southeast Asia Conflict, commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, and two assignments to the Pentagon as an advance research and development staff planner and as Director of Operational Requirements.
Anderson co-authored the book "To Fly & Fight--Memoirs of a Triple Ace" in 1990.
Anderson is a life member of the American Fighter Aces Association and a Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He has been decorated 25 times. His awards include two Legion of Merits, give Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star, 16 Air Medals, the French Croix de Guerre and the Aerospace Walk of Honor (1993).