Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 7-14-17

Feature
Woman On Journey To Bring Home Soldiers That Have Been Missing Since 1952
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Unbeknownst to her, the children of Mrs. Tonja An- derson-Dell sent an email to this writer, requesting that their mother be featured in the Sentinel.
Destinee, Tevin, Faith, Angel and Angela gave a brief statement on how their mother had been working for the past 16 years trying to bring home the military men who have been missing since 1952.
After seeing the reply from the writer requesting a phone number, Mrs. Anderson- Dell sent the number and the conversation began.
On November 22, 1952, 52 American soldiers departed on a C-124 Globemaster plane heading for Anchorage, Alaska. They never made it to their destination. One of those men was Airman Isaac William Anderson, Sr., the grandfather of Mrs. Ander-
TONJA ANDERSON-DELL son-Dell. He was one of 5
African-Americans on the plane. Two of the 5 have been identified and returned home, but Airman Anderson was not one of them.
When a rescue was deemed too expensive by the military, these men were left to the Alaskan wilderness and found their untimely demise. 60 years later, their true fate was still unknown to their loved ones and the world, Mrs. An- derson-Dell said in a book she has written.
A/B ISAAC W. ANDERSON, SR., (was never found) with his wife, Dorothy
Taking up the battle that her grandmother had started, in trying to get the remains, Mrs. Anderson-Dell began her fight with the military.
Two years ago she spoke on Capitol Hill with then-Rep. David Jolly at her side. Ac- cording to the children, she has written presidents and politi- cians in an effort to be heard.
“The point that I use is one of their own – ‘We never leave
our fallen behind’ – so I say to them, you can’t leave these men behind.”
Mrs. Anderson-Dell
says listening at family stories, she recalls her grandmother, Dorothy Anderson, often saying she wanted her flag be- cause her husband was never coming home. Mrs. Ander- son passed away on Sept. 12, 2001. The military granted her wish two months later.
In 2012, the Black Hawk team, (a military search group) found the crash site. Every year in the month of June, the team goes back to the site to see if they can locate the remains of others.
Mrs. Anderson-Dell has even gone on one of the recov- ery trips, and has attended services for many of those who have been brought to their homes.
Last week, Mrs. Ander- son-Dell was in Springfield, MO, for a service to honor one of those whose remains were found. The remains of 37 of the 52 men have been located.
Mrs. Anderson-Dell has written a book: Gifts From A Glacier: The Quest For An American Flag And 52 Souls to help those who have lost loved ones see closure.
The mother of 5 (ages 26 to 17 {twin girls}) said she’s hope- ful that one day her grandfa- ther will be among those who are returned.
FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A