Clarence "Bud" Anderson enlisted shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. He earned his pilots wing in September 1942 and joined the 357th Fighter Group a year later. In late 1943, Anderson and the 357th arrived in Europe, where they quickly transferred to the P-51 Mustang and began flying missions from February 1944. Anderson described feeling "more afraid of screwing up than of dying" on his first mission on 5 February 1944, but soon found his form, claiming his first victory less than a month later on 3 March 1944. He claimed a total of 16.25 kills, becoming a triple Ace and flew 116 Combat missions between November 1943 and January 1945.



Anderson stayed with the US Air Force following the War, and became a test pilot, flying 130 different types of aircraft over 7,500 hours. He commanded an F-86 Sabre Squadron in Post War Korea, an F-105 Thunderchief Wing on Okinawa and the 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron in Southeast Asia. Anderson retired from the US Air Force in March 1972, and joined McDonnell Aircraft Company. He fully retired in 1984, and gives lectures on experience, he retains a pilots license and still flies P-51s.