Our people: Navy veteran remembers adventures

For Will Anderson, the slogan "Join the Navy and see the world," couldn't be more true.

Anderson, a Farwell native, graduated high school in 1972 and joined the Navy in 1975 after attending a program at the Texas Maritime Academy. From there, he traveled far and wide - living in several different countries and serving in various capacities with the Navy and Navy Intelligence.

Anderson and his sweetheart Ginger have lived on multiple continents and raised two daughters along the way. After 28 years in uniform and five additional years as a civilian employee, Will and Ginger decided to bring their family back to Farwell.

Q: What was your first job?

A: Working with the State Line Tribune. I wrote, covering the football games.

I had an accident - fractured my skull - when I was 15. I couldn't play football anymore so I'd stand on the sidelines with a clipboard and keep track of things. Then I would broadcast the story to KWKA out of Clovis. I'd call them up, then they'd broadcast me over the phone. And then I'd write up the story for the newspaper.

Then I'd also shingle houses and just chop weeds, just like any other kid in this town.

Q: How would you describe yourself in one sentence?

A: Forgiven. That's the only thing that matters to me because for years and years I was such a piece of ... And then I met this woman, and she says, "You know, if we're gonna start a family," she says, "you're gonna behave yourself around my girls." And so then Jesus started talking to me after that. He says, "I've been trying to catch your attention for years." And so that's the main thing ... I'm forgiven.

Q: What is the best thing about living in this part of the world?

A: I had a Belarusian general that I met on Copacabana Beach. He and I were sitting in a bar talking, and all he wanted to hear about was Farwell, Texas. And he wanted to know everything; he wanted to know what we grew, the size of the school, he wanted to know everything.

And I finally apologized, I (said), "It's awful boring," and he (said), "Boring is heaven." Because he'd lost his whole family in World War II, and then he'd been Spetsnaz (special forces), and then he'd spent his life fighting in surrogate wars in Africa and in South America.

And he said, "What I want to do is to go back and I want to find a town just like Farwell." He said, "I want to find 'boring.'"

Q: What is your favorite childhood memory?

A: I was all over this town on my unicycle. I still have it. I might try it again. Then when you see my name in the obituary you'll know what happened.

But ... I think it's when my dad took me to the 1968 Cotton Bowl. The Texas A&M Aggies were 0 and 4 on the season, and then went on to win six games in a row, which won the Southwest Conference. And then went to play Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.

A&M Coach Gene Stallings had played for Alabama Coach Bear Bryant. And so then finally the Aggies won the game against all odds, 20 to 16, as I was in the stands cheering and watching. Then Gene Stallings went out in the middle of the field to shake his old coach's hand, and Bear Bryant picked him up and put him on his shoulder. Of course that was something else.

Q: What is the scariest thing you've ever had to do?

A: I had an Army colonel in Islamabad, Pakistan, who said, "I'm gonna drive to China, who wants to go with me?" So of course, my hand went up.

So we loaded up our truck, and took a couple of shotguns, and started on the Karakoram Highway, which is one of the highest paved roads in the world. We went through the Himalayas - and that was a terrifying drive - and got within 17 miles of the Chinese border and an avalanche took away the road in front of us. So then we turned around and came back and got stopped by a bunch of guys with AK-47s, there on the road.

Of course we both had shotguns, but you're not going to last a second against AKs like that. But the colonel, he saw those guys stand by the side of the road, so he said, "Call the (US) Embassy, call the Embassy right now."

In those days we didn't have cell phones. But I had a radio telephone. And I called them and I said, "We may have trouble," and I was telling them what was happening as it was happening. And we had a Pakistani working there, and he said, "Let me make some calls."

The men with AK-47s had us ... they didn't like us, anyhow. And then suddenly we had a whole big truckload of Pakistani Marines come roaring up the road.

And so that was just - for about 40 minutes there - I thought I'd hit the end of the road.

Q: If you could meet any person from history, who would it be and why?

A: Thomas Jefferson, because he's the man that gave us the vision that is the country. The history of this country has been the ghost of Thomas Jefferson fighting the ghost of Alexander Hamilton. I'm a Jeffersonian and so yeah, I would love to meet Jefferson.

Q: What is your proudest accomplishment?

A: We had a tanker explode. We were escorting tankers in and out of the Persian Gulf before the Gulf War. And that tanker blew up and we got out there and saved 25 out of the 27 men off that ship. And they were all from Boston.

And so then three months later when we came home, and we came in to tie up to the pier in Newport, Rhode Island, all 25 of them were lined up there with all their family.

Q: Who gave you your best piece of advice and what was it?

A: My grandfather, Gabe Anderson, who ran the bank here - started the bank here. He told me one time, he says, "Will, you'll find that if you don't walk on the railroad tracks the train will never hit you."

And I never took it to heart until I got older, but that's right. Don't be stupid, just don't be. If you don't want to get into trouble, don't go where trouble's waiting for you.