John Andersen
John’s quest for becoming a pilot came when he got to go flying with a friend of his parents when he was 9 years old and from that moment on, finding a way to fly was the goal! He earned his wings from Euro-Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) at Sheppard AFB. John’s first assignment was to Eielson AFB, Alaska flying the OV-10 “Bronco” and the A/OA-10 “Warthog”. He left Alaska in 1991 for the 103rd FS Pennsylvania ANG. During his time with the 103rd FS, John was an Instructor and Evaluator pilot and over his 21 year career has flown over 2500 hours in the A/OA-10, with over 200 combat flight hours before retiring in 2007.
It was with the 103rd FS, where John served four tours over in Kuwait and was also part of the initial cadre during “Operation Iraqi Freedom” (OIF) in February 2003. His life changed over the skies of Iraq on 23 Mar 2003, while he was the flight lead for a combat mission that was involved in a “blue on blue” incident.
In recent years, John has learned of the healing powers of the Alaska mountains through hiking or backcountry skiing. February 2018, he met Kirk Alkire for the first time after Gold Star peak was officially named and from that moment, Gold Star Peak became a special place where he could finally unload some of the pain and sorrow from the war and honor those who had fallen on that unfortunate day in Iraq. Gold Star Peak has provided the healing power within his soul; his friendship with Kirk that opened up his heart to help others find peace and forgiveness; remembrance with honor to those who have fallen and to help those who are still searching for answers.