PARKTON, MD, USA
U.S. Marines
LCPL, K CO, 3D BN, 6TH MAR, RCT-2, 2D MAR DIV, CAMP LEJEUNE, NC
KARABILAH, IRAQ 10/19/2005
Lance Corporal Norman W. Anderson III had been married just three months when he was killed. His wife and family knew that “Wally” was a Marine leader to the core and was driven to be with his Marine battle-buddies. He had been in Iraq about a month when a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Karabilah, Iraq. He died on October 19, 2005. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina which supported Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Corporal Anderson came from a military family. He was the son of a retired Army Ranger and had always wanted to serve in the military. There were relatives who traveled from South Africa to say goodbye to his cousin. Like many in the Anderson family – including Norman Anderson’s father and grandfather – his cousin served in the military.
Lance Corporal Anderson was a twenty-one year old resident of Parkton, Maryland in northern Baltimore County. He attended Hereford High School where he was on the football team. The school retired his football jersey No.33 and his friend’s jersey, No. 26. These high school team mates were killed just several weeks apart. Family and friends have established a joint memorial scholarship to honor and remember them.
He joined his Marine division as a rifleman in June 2003, and was deployed to Afghanistan. When he returned in November, “You could really see a difference in him,” said his father, Norman Anderson Jr., adding that his son became much more concerned about his family’s well-being.
Lance Corporal Anderson’s father wondered what kind of father is he going to be. Pointing out that his son was in charge of some of his fellow Marines and recognized for leadership during ambushes in Afghanistan, he said, “He proved to me what kind of father he was.”