Guardsmen Remember Fallen Comrade

Joshua Anderson's death received a brief mention in the news last week as the city's 16th homicide of the year. The men who served with him in the Air National Guard didn't want him to be remembered

Monday, March 26th 2007, 5:00 pm

By: News On 6

Joshua Anderson's death received a brief mention in the news last week as the city's 16th homicide of the year. The men who served with him in the Air National Guard didn't want him to be remembered as a mere statistic. News On 6 anchor Lori Fullbright reports they wanted a chance to tell people about Josh, the man, a man with hopes, dreams and people who cared about him.

Joshua Anderson wasn't a big guy on the outside, but inside his friends say his heart and his ambition for a better life were giant. Josh joined the Air National Guard four years ago and dreamed of being a pilot. They say he had a special affinity for the F-22 Raptor.

Shawn Sutter and Chris Boyd served with Josh in the 138th Fighter Wing where Josh was an aircraft armament journeyman. They both respected him as someone eager to learn and eager for new opportunities.

"One thing that really sticks out in my mind is his motivation,â€ said Sutter. â€œIn our last conversation, he was eager to continue his flying. He wanted to do that."

They say Josh was never without a book at training. He was always reading, learning new things and was a whiz at analyzing situations both in the guard and out.

"He wanted to succeed in life,â€ said Boyd. â€œHe encouraged me. That was one thing I really liked about him."

They describe him as quiet, but a person with big dreams. They were so sad when they heard he'd been killed at the age of 23 before being able to make many of those dreams come true. Josh's younger brother, David, turned himself in after the shooting.

"I was very shocked,â€ Boyd said. â€œYou see him physically, then just like that, he's gone."

"Josh's death has brought a lot of heavy hearts not just to myself, but plenty of friends and family," Sutter said.

Police tell us this is a tragic case because not only has the family lost one brother to death, but they've lost the other to jail.

Josh will be buried with a Military Honor Guard this weekend.

Related story:

3/21/2007 - Suspect In Tulsaâ€™s 16th Murder Surrenders