PFC – E3 – United States Army
67A1F - General Aircraft Mechanic
1st Aviation Brigade

Tour began on September 22, 1969
19 Years Old
Lincoln, Kansas
July 19, 1950 to February 11, 1970

Ila Anderson, Lanny's mother, receives a rose during the Faces On
The Wall Ceremony in Beloit, KS, October 2001.

This message was left in the Faces On The Wall
notebook that travels with the tribute...

Thank you & we would all like peace.

Wenny Plunkett remembers Lannie...

Lannie was a close friend of mine.  We had gone to grade school together,
but he moved away for awhile.  One day I was in my freshman English class
and our teacher announced that we were getting a new student.  To my surprise
and delight, in walked Lannie.  He winked at me and I winked back.
Unfortunately, our teacher saw it and proceeded to lecture us on "the proper
show of friendliness" to a "new student".  We had a good laugh after class
about Lannie being the proper new student.  For anyone who knew Lannie, he
was far from proper!!  He was a wild child from birth!

Lannie and I walked home from school together often.  We talked about
everything.  Lannie always talked about quitting school, and I always encouraged
him to try to finish.  Academics were especially difficult for Lannie.  How ironic that I
eventually quit high school and Lannie joined the Army where he worked toward his
GED.  I don't know if he graduated before he went to Vietnam, but I hope in my heart
that he did.  I told him how proud I was that he was finishing his high school education.

Lannie knew many of my secrets and kept them all.  He was considered "wild" and
"trouble", but he had a heart of gold.  He dried my tears many times.  I remember
when we were in grade school we had to stand in line to get our immunizations.
Nobody wanted to stand beside Lannie because he fainted at the sight of blood.  How
did he ever deal with what he must have seen in Vietnam?  At his funeral, the rumor
circulated that Lannie wasn't in the casket, only his dog tags.

For years I dreamed that I would be shopping or sitting in a class or at work
and Lannie would just walk in and wink at me.  I would wake up and be so happy
and excited - I knew that it was really going to happen someday.

Today, 32 years later, I stood at the traveling Vietnam Memorial and touched
his name.  I heard "Lannie Ray Anderson" announced with his age and date
of death.  I saw his picture on a memorial wall.  Today I cried.  Lannie won't
be walking through the door.  Oh my God, I miss him.

If you would like to post your remembrance
about Lannie, please click here.