Clemson alumnus Rudolph Anderson honored by Air Force ROTC

Published: December 5, 2011

Clemson Corps chairman Ed De Iulio presents the plaque to Cadet Col. James Folsom of Clemson's Air Force ROTC. image by: Clemson University

By Taylor Reeves

CLEMSON — The Clemson Corps presented a plaque to Clemson University’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 770 in honor of Maj. Rudolph Anderson, who was posthumously recognized as an Air Force ROTC Distinguished Alumnus in July. 

A Greenville native, Anderson graduated from Clemson in 1948 and began his military career flying F-86 Sabres and reconnaissance missions in the 1953 Korean War. During the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, Anderson flew an unarmed, unescorted U-2 aircraft on surveillance missions to provide President John F. Kennedy with conclusive evidence of the introduction of long-range Soviet offensive missiles in Cuba. Anderson was killed during one of these missions when his aircraft was struck by a surface-to-air missile on Oct. 27, 1962. Anderson was the only combat fatality of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Anderson was the first-ever recipient of the Air Force Cross and was the first non-general officer to be named an Air Force ROTC Distinguished Alumni.

Established in 2007, the Distinguished Alumni program recognizes Air Force ROTC graduates who attain a high level of distinction for an accomplishment with Air Force-wide significance or historically notable service or combat achievements.

A memorial was erected in Greenville to honor Anderson, and his name is included on Clemson’s Scroll of Honor Memorial dedicated to alumni who have died in military conflicts. Detachment 770’s Arnold Air Society Squadron of the Clemson Air Force ROTC is named in Anderson’s honor, and the squadron attends a service at his memorial in Greenville every year.

The plaque presented by the Clemson Corps was a replica of that unveiled in July at the Distinguished Alumni induction ceremony at Maxwell Air Force base in Montgomery, Ala., where the original plaque is on display.

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