Clemson honored an alumnus and American hero of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis on the 40th anniversary of his death. A memorial service, organized by Student Government, was held Sunday, October 27, 2002, at 2 p.m. on the Military Heritage Plaza to commemorate the "life, sacrifice and patriotism" of Air Force Major Rudolf Anderson Jr.
Anderson, a Greenville native and a member of the Class of 1948, was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission in a U-2 spy plane. His air surveillance of the island nation of Cuba in early October 1962 proved essential to the detection of Soviet surface-to-surface, medium-range ballistic missiles, some 90 miles from the Florida coast.
An analysis of the images photographed by Anderson and other pilots put in motion the infamous "thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis," which brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war.
In an October 22, 1962 address broadcast nationwide over television and radio, President John F. Kennedy announced a naval blockade or quarantine of Cuba to prohibit Soviet personnel and supplies from reaching Cuba. Anderson was shot down on Saturday, Oct. 27, 1962 in a final U-2 flight.
One day later, Radio Moscow announced Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev's decision to remove the missiles. In Secretary of State Dean Rusk's now-famous words, the United States was eyeball to eyeball with the Russians, and Khrushchev "blinked."
All members of the University and Clemson community were invited to join in the celebration of Anderson's devotion to country and duty.
Also read: "The Twelfth Day" by Liz Newall, published in the Fall 2000 Clemson World and Quest for a Medal of Honor.
Special thanks to Ron G. WIlliams for supplying photography.