Andy and Mary Jessie’s family began to grow after their second son, Kirk Anderson, was born in Quantico, Virginia. Leon successfully completed OCS and was assigned to Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California. During his assignment in California, the Anderson family welcomed two additional children Craig, and Melisa Anderson, to its clan. Andy was unsuccessful in getting the Marine Corps to assign him to an Infantry billet so he transferred in 1962 to the US Army as an Infantry Officer.
While serving as an Infantry Company Commander in Germany, Andy and Jessie welcomed their fifth and final child Deborah who joined siblings Robert, Kirk, Craig and Melissa in the hoursehold. Andy's next assignment was to Ft. Benning, Georgia where he attended and completed the Infantry officers advanced course. In 1967, Andy deployed to Vietnam; one of two tours of combat in Vietnam. Three weeks into his first combat tour, Leon was leading a foot patrol when a South Vietnamese soldier, in close proximity, stepped on a land mine. The metal shrapnel tore into Anderson's body causing serious injuries; he was transported to a U.S. military hospital in Japan where he was treated, released, and finished his combat tour.
Andy returned to the States, was promoted to the rank of Major, and assigned to Ft. Benjamin Harrison in Indiana. After his assignment to Ft. Benjamin Harrison, he attended the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), as a student, in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Andy volunteered to return to Vietnam for his second tour of combat upon graduation from CGSC. Andy sustained many injuries during his second tour of combat; numerous helicopter crashes due to mechanical issues and/or his craft was shot down by enemy fire. He sustained gunshot wounds to the body and was recognized for saving the lives of fellow soldiers during combat.
Andy returned to the States and was reassigned to Ft. Leavenworth, KS as an instructor at the Command and General Staff College. In July 1976, Andy officially retired from the Army and moved to Kansas City, Missouri where he taught and coached soccer at Park College. After two years in KCMO, he moved the family to El Paso, Texas to pursue a career in the tank line trucking business. He managed a trucking company for four years, as much as he loved the trucking business, he missed living and working abroad. His first overseas assignment, in a nonmilitary capacity, was working as an American Observer in the Sinai Peninsula. After three years in that position, he worked with the Mujahideen in the Khyber Pass located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan.
Andy then went to the work for the US State Deparemnt so his family could travel. Andy and Jessie enjoyed many years together traveling and working overseas. They lived in Suriname, South American; Dar es Salam, Tanzania; Addis Abba, Ethiopia; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In September 1996, Leon reached the mandatory retirement age of the State Department and returned to El Paso, Texas with his wife to enjoy his retirement years.
In February 2008, his wife Jessie passed away unexpectedly leaving Leon to manage life without his spouse of fifty-two (52) years. He found solace and a renewed commitment with his band of brothers from the 82nd Airbourne, the VFW Post 812 and the Special Forces Chapter IX veterans organizations. LTC Anderson's Military Decorations include: the Parachute Badge; Ranger Tab; Korean Service Medal; Combat Infantry Badge; (3) Purple Hearts, Silver Star Stars medal; Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster signifying a second award; three Vietnam Service Medals, Viet Nam Parachute Wings, and the Vietnam Medal of Honor.
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