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Service Details |
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Current Service Status
USAF Retired
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Current/Last Rank
Major
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Current/Last Primary AFSC/MOS
14NX-Intelligence
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Current/Last AFSC Group
Intelligence
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Primary Unit
1992-1994, 8076, Joint Staff
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Previously Held AFSC/MOS
99000-Basic Airman
81250-Law Enforcement Specialist
81271-Law Enforcement and Corrections Supervisor
8071-Intelligence Applications Officer, Staff
8076-Intelligence Applications Officer, Staff
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Service Years
1971 - 1994
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| Official/Unofficial US Air Force Certificates
Cold War Certificate
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1982, United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
- Assoc. Page
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1995, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Centrak Shenandoah Valley (Deceased Member (Honor Roll)) ( Massanutten, Virginia)
- Chap. Page
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2005, Air & Space Forces Association (AFA), AF285 (Finance Officer) (Roanoke, Virginia)
- Chap. Page
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2009, Air Force Security Forces Association
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2009, Air Force Memorial (AFM)
- Assoc. Page
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2010, American Legion, Post 340 (Stuarts Draft, Virginia)
- Chap. Page
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2010, Association For Intelligence Officers
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2010, National Rifle Association (NRA)
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2010, American Military Retirees Association (AMRA)
- Assoc. Page
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2012, National Association of Uniformed Services (NAUS), Chapter 2 (President) (Charlottesville, Virginia)
- Chap. Page
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2012, American Military Society
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2013, American Veterans (AMVETS), Post 511 (Member) (Staunton, Virginia)
- Chap. Page
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What are you doing now:
Retired from IBM in 2018 after a 20-year second career. I was a Project Manager and Quality Assurance Practitioner. This was a nice work-at-home job after years of traveling to customer sites, both government and commercial. This travel included virtually living in Denver and Boulder, CO, for two and a half years working IBM projects at the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service respectively. During my 20 years at IBM I also worked projects at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
Between USAF retirement and IBM, I worked at TRW for 5 years as a defense contractor in the Aerospace and Defense Segment. Interesting work, but decided to move on to new challenges in the private sector.
Retired from the USAF in 1994 and have lived in Virginia ever since. Initially settled in Centreville, VA after USAF retirement, but that area became far to crowded for my family's taste. We moved south to the small rural town of Stuarts Draft, VA in the Shenandoah Vally in 2003. Now live on three acres of land with plenty of elbow room and a great view of the surrounding farmland and watershed.
Civil War battlefields are all around us within easy driving distance. Some of them are: Appomattox, Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, Manassas, New Market, The Wilderness, Chancellorsville, Fredricksburg, Brandy Station, Culpepper, Lynchburg, and Waynesboro. Gettysburg National Battlefield Park is about 2.5 hours to the north of us along I-81. The list goes on. A dream come true for a Civil War buff like me.
I'm an avid collector of stuff, to include challenge coins, military patches, shot glasses, beer steins and mugs, Mort Kunsler Civil War art, and Star Trek memorabilia. Lately, I've been collecting hats and caps related to my military experiences. Collections include 300+ beer steins, 135 challenge coins, and patches from every state police force in all 50 states.
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Other Comments:
I'm a founding Member of the Eddie's Airplane Patch Desert Rats Group. Group consists of 116 former USAF Security Policemen who served with the 6510th Security Police Squadron at Edwards AFB, CA during the 1970's. Group has been active for over 16 years.
Members of the group served at Edwards AFB (fondly referred to as "Eddie's") during times when the base had no gates or fences, patrolling over 300,000 acres and dealing with vehicle traffic open to everyone. Group also participated in the arrival of the first B-1 bombers and the overland move of the first space shuttle "Enterprise" from Palmdale to the NASA Complex on Edwards. Group also supported space shuttle testing and operational flights that landed at Edwards, namely "Columbia" and "Challenger."
We held our first reunion in over 30 years in Colorado Springs, CO in 2007 and our second reunion at Edwards AFB, CA in 2009. Our third reunion was held in San Antonio, TX in 2011. Our fourth reunion was held in Las Vegas, NV in 2013. Reunion #5 occurred in 2015 in Orlando, FL. Our 6th Reunion was held in Dayton, OH in October, 2017, which will include a visit to the National Museum of the Air Force. Our most recent reunions were held in Tucson, AZ in 2019 and in Charleston, SC in 2021. In the past, the group has attended baseball games in Kansas City, Chicago, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Denver. We met for our 5th consecutive New Year's celebration in San Antonio, TX, to ring in 2017. For New Year's 2018, we met in Las Vegas, NV. In 2019 and 2020, we met in San Antonio, TX. We have not met the last two years due to the pandemic.
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1971-1971, 99000, 3724th Basic Military Training Squadron (Cadre)
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1971-1972, 81250, 317th Tactical Airlift Wing
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1972-1974, 81271, United States Air Forces in Europe (COMUSAFE/USAFE)
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1974-1979, 81271, 6510th Security Police Squadron
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1979-1979, 8071, Air Force Air Intelligence Training Center (Staff)
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1980-1983, 8076, 93rd Bombardment Wing, Heavy
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1983-1984, United States Air Forces in Europe (COMUSAFE/USAFE)
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1984-1987, 8076, 93rd Bombardment Wing, Heavy
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1987-1991, 8076, Strategic Air Command Tactics School (SACTS), Strategic Air Command (SAC)
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1991-1992, 8076, 4513th Adversary Threat Training Group
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1992-1994, 8076, Joint Staff
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- Collins, Patrick, Sgt, (1971-1975)
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- De Felice, Peter, CMSgt, (1978-2008)
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- Ferreira, Orlando, Col, (1970-1998)
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- Huhn, Michael, Col, (1977-2003)
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- Kell, Leo, A1C, (1971-1975)
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- Riggs, John, 1st Lt, (1979-1986)
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- Robison, Richard, Sgt, (1971-1975)
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- Selby, Michael, Maj, (1968-1989)
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- Smith, Dennis, Sgt, (1971-1975)
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- Trautman, Eugene, Sgt, (1970-1974)
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- Tuchscherer, Timothy, SSgt, (1982-1990)
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- Westbrook, Thomas, SSgt, (1954-1974)
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Reflections on Maj Anderson's
US Air Force Service
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PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE AIR FORCE.
 | | Basic Training at Lackland. They Let Us Loose. |
I guess the primary influence on me to pursue a military career was my grandfather, who served in the Navy in WWI and my father, who served in the Navy in WWII. Both men served with great distinction. My father received battle stars for combat action at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Although their influence was primary, I chose not to follow their footsteps into the Navy, but to follow a career path in the United States Air Force instead. I was the first person in my family to serve in the Air Force. So, in that sense, I broke with family tradition. The U.S. Air Force seemed to offer more of the skills and challenges that were interesting to me. The 1971 Sylmar Earthquake, which hit Los Angeles in February of 1971, might have also played an indirect role. It happened about a month before I enlisted. Not that I believe in that sort of thing, but maybe something was telling me it was time for a change of scenery.
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WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
I enlisted in the USAF with the intent to enter air traffic control operations. However, I was selected for the Security Police career field while in Basic and received a Direct Duty Assignment (DDA) to Pope AFB, NC. With a college background in Police Science and Justice Administration, my education  | | SSgt Dan Anderson, C-Flight, 6510th SPS |
may have influenced that assignment. I was selected for the law enforcement career field. My law enforcement assignments were to the 317th SPS at Pope AFB, NC, the 7551st CSG (SP), at RAF Greenham Common in the U.K., and the 6510th SPS at Edwards AFB, CA. Without any doubt, the Edwards AFB assignment was the best of my career. Most of my time at Edwards was as an SP Investigator, a very interesting and challenging facet of police work. After selection for commissioning 9 years later, I entered the Intelligence career field, where I remained for the rest of my career. Of my years in Air Force Intelligence, 11 of those years were in the Strategic Air Command. My SAC assignments were in support of the Combat Crew Training School (CCTS), 93rd Bombardment Wing (Hvy), at Castle AFB, and as a command instructor at the SAC Tactics School, Nellis AFB, NV. I was also assigned to the Tactical Fusion Center (TFC), Det 1, 7450th TIS, at Boerfink Mountain Kaserne (MTK), West Germany, where we reported on operational Cold War situations every day. This assignment was the most interesting and, at times, exciting job of my intelligence career. It represented real-time threat analysis at the height of the Cold War. My last assignment was at the Pentagon as part of the Joint Staff/J2, attached to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), supporting USSTRATCOM, USTRANSCOM, and USSPACECOM.
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IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
 | | The Fulda Gap |
If you consider the Cold War a combat operation (which I do), I supported US and NATO air forces with fused intelligence on Soviet and Warsaw Pact air operations. The Tactical Fusion Center (TFC) also provided Indications and Warning (I&W) data to the National Command Authority on Soviet and Warsaw Pact activity. I always thought that looking down the throat of Soviet and East German motorized rifle and armored divisions and sitting right in the Fulda Gap was a combat operation. And, at times, the Cold War turned hot. While a command instructor at the Strategic Air Command Tactics School (SACTS), I was responsible for Mideast adversary threat tactics training to SAC aircrews deploying to the first Desert Storm Operation.
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OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
My last enlisted assignment at Edwards AFB, California, was the best of my career. The 6510th Security Police Squadron functioned as a big city police department most notably because the base had no gates or fences and was open to vehicular traffic of any type. This required a high degree  | | West Gate Inbound from Rosamond, CA. |
of training, skill and professionalism to handle not only military personnel, but civilian traffic through the base as well. The duty was hazardous and very unpredictable, but it brought our unit close together in a way unlike any unit I have ever seen. We also made some aviation history while at Edwards. The first B-1 bomber appeared at Edwards for flight testing and acceptance. The first space shuttle, named "Enterprise" rolled into Edwards in 1977 and conducted glide and landing tests there. The A-10, not yet in the active inventory, tested at Edwards. The 6510th SPS was there for it all, providing security and law enforcement support. Most of the Security Policemen in our unit are still in touch with each other today; maintaining camaraderie and friendships that have spanned nearly 40 years. We have a reunion group that meets every other year, and various members of the group do things with each other at "gatherings" two to three times in between. We shared a common experience, common hazards, common duty commitments, and common good times. It seems to me this signifies what military service really means.
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FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
Meeting and marrying my wife, also a military member, is the memory that stands out the most in my career. We met at Castle AFB, CA, and we were married at the base chapel by an Air Force Chaplain. She was my soul mate and best friend. We went through  | | Myself and my Wife, SSgt Patricia C. Anderson, USAF |
hardships, long separations (she was assigned to Shemya AB for a year), numerous military moves together. In addition to our bond of marriage, we had a common bond of military service and sacrifice. Unfortunately, she passed away several years ago. I also have great memories of my enlisted time at Edwards AFB, CA. I was assigned as a Security Policeman there for 5 years and established camaraderie and friendships that have lasted nearly 40 years. The Edwards "Desert Rats" have their own website and have reunions every two years. Great memories from perhaps my finest USAF assignment. My assignment at the SAC Tactics School at Nellis AFB, NV was one of my most rewarding tours. For 5 years, I helped educate B-52, B-1, FB-111, KC-135, and KC-10 aircrews on the Integrated Air Defense System (IADS) threats facing their missions (Soviet, Mideast, etc). I like to think that the information and analysis we passed on to the aircrews prepared them to fly, fight, survive, and fight another day.
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WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
Although I did not receive any decorations for valor, I did earn a senior Security Police Badge and a master Intelligence Badge for my service in those two career fields. I am most proud of the Certificate of Recognition I received for service during the Cold War. The Cold War is often overlooked as a conflict, but, in fact, it was. The threats were real, and sometimes that war turned hot. The separations were real, the sacrifice was real. All one had to do was to serve in Germany staring at massive Soviet and Warsaw Pact military power just across the border to realize that the Cold War was real.
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OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
Hard to choose a single one. My Intelligence badge was meaningful because of my time in Europe. I was working in operational real-time, monitoring the activity of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. Our mission was vital to providing warning of Soviet intent to the NCA and to US and NATO forces. This was a true Cold War assignment where Soviet and Warsaw Pact combat forces remained deployed along the inner-German border poised to strike into NATO at a moments notice. Our responsibility was to give NATO as much warning as possible of an impending invasion.
My Security Police qualification badge was also meaningful. It spoke to commitment, duty, honor, and integrity. Some of my work was on bases without gates, where civilians traversed the base at all hours of the day and night. This made the law enforcement job particularly hazardous because you never knew who you might be stopping on a "routine" traffic stop. Because my job was to uphold the law, support the UCMJ and protect military personnel and Air Force resources, I took my law enforcement job very seriously.
These functional badges spoke to commitment to a mission and a commitment to top performance.
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WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
 | | Vic Ortloff at one of our Reunions |
That would have to be my Chief of Security Police (CSP) at Edwards AFB, CA. Major Vic Ortloff's thinking on law enforcement operations and equipment was years ahead of its time. He did a great deal to mold the 6510th SPS into a professional law enforcement organization. On a more personal note, he encouraged and supported my efforts to obtain a commission in the USAF. I give him a lot of credit for my eventual acceptance into OTS and successful Officer career. He was, in my mind, the ideal Security Police Commander.
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LIST THE NAMES OF OLD FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH, AT WHICH LOCATIONS, AND RECOUNT WHAT YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THEM. INDICATE THOSE YOU ARE ALREADY IN TOUCH WITH AND THOSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH.
This is a tough question as my list would be very long. Suffice it to say that the members of the 6510th Security Police Squadron are to this day friendships I treasure. They were people one could count on and I deeply respect each and every one of them.
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CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Only one I can think of is the legend of "Blue Eyes," at Edwards AFB, CA. "Blue Eyes" was alleged to be some sort of "Big Foot" that roamed the high desert scaring people. We spent many a midnight shift chasing down reports that this "creature" had been seen at this place or that. Never amounted to anything, but made for some funny war stories. Our patrols did once find very large footprints out near our MARS Station, when we responded to a prowler report. The report indicated something very tall, with bright blue eyes (hence, the nickname) was peering in the windows of the station. That was a very neat trick considering the station was on "stilts" and the window ledges were quite high. We were never able to explain that incident.
In honor of this incident, we have a symbolic "Blue Eyes" hunt at every Edwards AFB "Desert Rats" reunion.
Of course, there seemed to always be a security police "urban legend" at any base I was assigned.At Pope AFB, it was the "Manchester Monster." In the United Kingdom, it was the "Ghost of RAF Welford."
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WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
Initially entered defense contracting performing work in my Intelligence career field for the TRW Aerospace and Defense segment. Our primary contracts were in support of national intelligence requirements. My primary function was as a developer and a trainer. Ultimately, I moved into the private sector working in software lab services at IBM. Initially I was hired by a smaller company called Tivoli. Tivoli was eventually acquired by IBM and is now known as an IBM Brand. After spending 8 years on the road, so to speak, as a Project Manager--directing software implementation projects at IBM customer sites--I moved into a job that required only a home office...no more travel. Today my primary responsibilities are as a Quality Assurance Practitioner and team leader for three IBM Brands.
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WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
Yes, a member of several.
1) Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) - This organization helped me transition into private life after my military career with vital information on job hunting, resume writing, networking, etc. A good source of information on retired military matters today.
2) Air Force Security Forces Association (AFSFA) - Maintaining camaraderie with my Security Police "roots."
3) Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) - Maintaining contact, networking and camaraderie with my Intelligence career field. Good source of information on current events too.
4) American Military Retirees Association (AMRA) - Excellent source of information on retired affairs and current updates on retiree benefits.
5) United Services Automobile Association (USAA) - Have been a member since 1981. All of my insurance needs are provided by USAA (i.e., auto, home, personal property).
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
My mother used to tell me I was a slob growing up. What kids aren't? My military service turned all of that around. 1) First my military service taught me Organization. I learned how to set goals. 2) I then learned how to prioritize my actions, and be disciplined in execution of  | | 6510 SPS at Edwards AFB Reunion, 2009 |
those actions. I attribute my success in the private sector today to the success I achieved in my military career and the discipline and commitment I attained during that career. 3) The military taught me the meaning of camaraderie, brotherhood, and friendship. The military instilled a sense of closeness and a feeling of belonging and contributing to an important mission. Although the Air Force career is behind me now, the memories and friendships formed during those years are still with me each and every day. 4) Nearly 40 years after my enlisted career, I still maintain contact with friends and security police brothers and sisters from my years at Edwards AFB. We see each other every other year at a reunion. Several of us here in the east see each other 3-4 times a year. That, to me, is the true meaning and value of a military career.
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BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE AIR FORCE?
Always serve with honor, duty, devotion to yourself, your brethren, your unit, and to your country. Never forget why you are serving...never forget the people you protect, and the nation and way of life you defend. The military is not about benefits, it is about service and commitment.
A military career is important as it confirms, maintains, and preserves who and what we are as a nation. That should never be taken lightly. But at the same time, take advantage of training opportunities and the experience military service offers. Take opportunities to travel and see the world. View how others live as it provides a very unique perspective that many Americans never see.
Take advantage of educational opportunities. They may ultimately serve you well once your military career is over. From my perspective, I earned two college degrees while on active duty. These degrees serve me well today.
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
 | | TWS and the US Air Force |
It provides a strong link to the times in which I served, the units in which I served, and the geographies in which I served. I look each and every day to see if there are folks out there that I served with. I've already found a few. AFTWS was responsible for that and I am forever grateful. AFTWS has also provided me with a feeling of belonging again, something which I had not felt since my USAF career ended nearly 25 years ago. Also, I've met new people who have a shared experience and a shared sense of duty. These new people come from varied career fields, ranks, and experiences that I may never have encountered otherwise during my time in the military. DS 3/20/27
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