The military was always big in Wes Anderson’s family.

Anderson’s stepfather was a World War II Navy veteran, and when the young Anderson worked on the family farm, he was told war stories.

“The thing I remember most,” Anderson said. “Was that he would say, ‘If I had stayed in the military, I’d be retired by now instead of doing this.’

“That’s when I decided that if I went into the military that I would stay in and make it my career. My biological father was an Air Force veteran, and I had some uncles who served as well. The military was not uncommon in my family. And, my birthday is the 4th of July, so it seemed to fit.”

True to his word, Anderson joined the US Army in July of 1981 and retired just 90 days shy of 32 years in April of 2013. He retired as a full colonel.

“I was happy in the military,” Anderson said. “I never second-guessed my career choice. There are some regrets about missing out on some family time, but if I had it to do over again, I would do it the same way.”

Anderson spent 2004-05 in Afghanistan, but that was his last overseas tour. Besides the tour in Afghanistan, Anderson was also assigned to New Orleans to aid relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

Born in Paxton and raised in the Manlius area, Anderson originally enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard at Rock Falls. He then attended Infantry OSUT (One Station Unit Training) at Fort Benning, Georgia, as a private before enrolling in ROTC at Northern Illinois University.

After completing ROTC, he attended Armor (Cavalry) Officer Basic Course (OBC) at Fort Knox, KY. While attending OBC, he had an opportunity to enter into a tour under the provisions of the Active Guard/Reserve (AGR) program. The AGR program provides active duty resources that serve tours within a specific state’s National Guard or the United States Army Reserve. He started his initial AGR tour with the Illinois Army National Guard on May 15, 1985, as a second lieutenant 12 days after graduating from OBC.

Anderson and his wife, June, have six children. When he was assigned to the Joliet area in the 1990s, they decided they wanted to put down roots and settled in Minooka. One of his sons, Wes Jr., returned to Minooka after graduating and became an assistant baseball coach for the Indians. He asked his dad if he wanted to help out.

“I retired from the Army in April of 2013 and started substitute teaching at Minooka in the fall of 2013. I began coaching in the spring of 2014. Wes Jr. was the head freshman baseball coach and I worked with the freshman pitchers. I was a volunteer coach for my first four years.”

Anderson found the transition from being a military man to being a coach to be quite natural.

“I have been leading and mentoring men younger than me for my entire career in the military,” he said. “A lot of those things translate well into coaching, especially teaching them that they are a part of a team that is bigger than them.”

Minooka head baseball coach Jeff Petrovic is more than happy to have Anderson, who is called “Senior” by the program’s players, on the Indians’ staff.

“We are so fortunate to have Coach Anderson as a part of our program,” Petrovic said. “He is so dedicated and cares so deeply about the program and the kids. He works seamlessly with his son, Wes, who is the varsity pitching coach and they keep all the pitchers’ development on track all four years.

“More than anything, Wes Anderson Sr. is such a great person and leader. He makes all of us in the Minooka baseball program better people just by being around him. He is one of the most loyal and dedicated people I know and I’m so thankful to get to work alongside him.”

Anderson also had high praise for Petrovic.

“The program starts with Jeff,” he said. “I like to refer to our program as one team with three levels. A lot of schools aren’t that fluid, but Jeff’s program is very much one team. From the first day of practice, Jeff tells the kid that we want them to be good players, better teammates and great people. That type of thinking is important to me.

“Baseball is a sport of individual skills, but it has to be played as a team, and that’s something that both Jeff and I believe in as well. I have enjoyed this experience.”

Anderson said that there is a tradition in the military that commanders carry challenge coins of excellence and give them away to people they deem worthy.

“I gave Jeff one of my challenge coins,” Anderson said. “With his leadership ability and the way he has built his program, he would do well leading any team.”

When thanked for his service to his country, Anderson is quite humble.

“It was my pleasure,” he said. “I lived my American dream.”