Sergeant First Class Anderson was a member of Company A, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy near Kunu-ri, North Korea, on 28 November 1950. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His remains were recovered on 18 May 1999 and identified on 2 October 2002. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Anderson was awarded the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.