Nation’s Top Airmen Honor Bud Anderson as Legendary WWII Triple Ace Buried at Arlington

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va.—Brig. Gen. Clarence E. “Bud” Anderson, the last surviving triple ace from World War II, was honored one last time by the nation’s top Airmen when he was buried here with full military honors March 30. 

His family was presented with an American flag that had recently flown in fighter jets piloted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach.

“‘Bud’ Anderson is a hero and legend in air combat; he wrote the playbook,” said Wilsbach, who served as the general officer host of the funeral, which was also attended by Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David R. Wolfe. “He mastered his craft, flew with immense courage, and leaves a legacy of service that will inspire generations.”

Anderson, a 30-year Airman, test pilot, and legendary World War II P-51 Mustang pilot, died May 17, 2024, at 102. Anderson is credited with 16.25 kills in the war—he received partial credit for one shoot-down—becoming a triple ace over 116 missions, according to the U.S. military.

Anderson scored all his kills of German fighters in the famed North American P-51 Mustang. None of the planes Anderson flew were known to have been hit by enemy fire, and he never aborted a mission, Air & Space Forces Magazine wrote in a 2024 obituary. Anderson scored the third-highest number of kills in the Army Air Forces’ 357th Fighter Group, which was mostly charged with protecting American bombers on missions over Europe.

Over 80 years later, a four-ship of P-51s roared over the rolling hills of Arlington’s Section 38—with one P-51 peeling off to create a “Missing Man” formation. That formation was led by four of America’s most cutting-edge fighters, F-35 Lightning IIs from the 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard.

Caine said during a March 31 press conference that Anderson was “a legend to our Air Force and fighter pilots everywhere.”

Wilsbach presented the American flag to Bud Anderson’s son, James “Jim” Anderson. Other family members in attendance included Bud’s daughter, Kitty Burlington, and grandchildren. 

The flag was flown in an F-22 Raptor piloted by Wilsbach during a sortie on March 25 from Joint Base Langley Eustis, Va., military officials said. The same flag flew in an F-16 Fighting Falcon with Caine this past weekend over the Washington, D.C. area, a spokesperson for the Joint Staff said. Anderson is buried alongside his wife in Section 38 of the Arlington National Cemetery in Grave 2872.

After World War II, Anderson flew as a test pilot, logging time in more than 130 different types of aircraft, especially the “Century Series” of supersonic fighters. He amassed more than 7,500 flight hours, 480 of them in combat. 

Anderson deployed to Asia during the Vietnam War, including flying 25 combat missions with the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing.

“On the ground, he was the nicest person you’d ever know,” famed test pilot Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager, a squadron mate of Anderson, wrote in his autobiography. “In the sky, those damned Germans must’ve thought they were up against Frankenstein or the Wolfman. Andy would hammer them into the ground, dive with them into the damned grave, if necessary, to destroy them.”

Anderson grew up near Sacramento, Calif., and earned his pilot’s license while still a teenager. He credited his kills to his keen eyesight.

Anderson retired in 1972, three decades after joining the Army Air Corps in 1942.

After his retirement as a colonel, he worked for McDonnell Aircraft Corp. as its chief of flight test.  He received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2015 along with other American Fighter Aces.

Anderson was promoted to honorary brigadier general by then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. in December 2022.

Anderson was an “incredibly special man,” Caine said. “That’s true for each and every one of our World War II vets who become fewer and fewer; they are the greatest generation.”