R. Lee Ermey's SOUND OFF Forum

[Batman47]

74-year-old Army veteran will receive nation’s top recognition for ’65 battle

WASHINGTON - Bruce Crandall was a soldier once ... and young.

As a 32-year-old helicopter pilot, he flew through a gantlet of enemy fire, taking ammunition in and wounded Americans out of one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War, Army records say.

Now, a week after his 74th birthday, Crandall will receive the nation’s highest military honor Monday in a White House ceremony with President Bush.

Retired Maj. Bruce Crandall of Manchester, Wash., stands outside his waterfront home with his original flight jacket and helmet on Feb. 14. Crandall, who turns 74 Saturday, is to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts Nov. 14, 1965, in Vietnam as a Army chopper pilot.

Continued at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10336237

[marinejim]

Crandall's actions in the November 1965 Battle at Ia Drang Valley were depicted in the Hollywood movie "We Were Soldiers," adapted from the book "We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young."


mj

[Sunshine]

I am so glad he is getting the nations highest honors. He deserves it and more.

[catchaser]

USA Today put this story up today,,

quote from the link at top, (MSNBC)
"Paperwork and other parts of the process delayed Crandall’s medal until now, officials said."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Paperwork ? lol the movie got things rolling !
I recently got the movie, hard to watch,
Very well made !
I was very touched by the wives scenes , back at home,,,

[Toubrouk]

My "Bull Crap detector" turned to red when I read this:

Paperwork and other parts of the process delayed Crandall’s medal until now, officials said.

Talk about a friggin long time! Four decades and a Holywood movie is between the act and the medal! I do hope that they wont ask the same delay for the common soldier out there to commit acts of bravery!

[catchaser]

i havent read the book,
but in the movie they really focused on the choppers role
in this battle, mentioning the pilots nicknames alot, etc,,
one of the few vietnam movies i have seen that isnt
politically or anti war charged as usual,,,

you could watch this movie, and give M O H s to
many more there,(if only i could)

actually this movie and the chopper role
was very similar to the movie R Lee did,(Firebase Gloria)
the one where R Lee had to "take over" as camp leader,,
Ill never forget the hippie redheaded actor that flew in
supplies and saved the day,, he was cool !


,,,

[marinejim]

Quote:

mentioning the pilots nicknames alot,

TO TALL "YOU CALL WE HAUL"
mj

[Snafu]

About Damn Time, he and his men, kept alot of men alive.....

[Recruit#32135]

I was watching this live this morning, and this man makes me more proud to be American than the damned hippies make me ashamed

[spacelord]

what a great story. As soon as I read it, I came here to see if it had already been posted.

[Batman47]

Vietnam Hero to be Awarded Medal of Honor
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2007 – More than 40 years after demonstrating the heroism immortalized in the bestselling book and movie, “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” retired Army Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall will receive the Medal of Honor, the White House announced yesterday.

Crandall will receive the nation’s highest military award for actions during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in November 1965. The battle, at Landing Zone X-Ray near the Ia Drang River, was the first major ground battle of the war.

During the incident, Crandall, then a major and commander of Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), dodged intense enemy fire as he repeatedly flew to a landing zone to rescue and resupply besieged 1st Cavalry Division ground troops.

The narrative for Crandall’s Medal of Honor credits him with displaying leadership by example and fearless courage as he “voluntarily flew his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire on flight after flight, delivering desperately needed ammunition, water and medical supplies into one of the most hotly contested landing zones of the war.”

Crandall led a flight of 16 helicopters in support of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, which was out of water, running dangerously low on ammunition and engaging about two regiments of North Vietnamese army infantry “determined to overrun and annihilate them,” the narrative reads.

When the enemy fire got so intense that the infantry commander closed the landing zone, Crandall volunteered for the mission. He and his wingman, Maj. Ed Freeman, are credited with saving more than 70 wounded soldiers by transporting them to safety.

Freeman received the Medal of Honor for his efforts in July 2001.

Several books about the battle recognize Crandall and Freeman’s contributions. Among the most well-known is the bestselling “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” coauthored by Lt. Gen. Harold Moore, commanding officer of infantry units in X-Ray, and Joseph Galloway, a combat reporter who was in the landing zone during the battle.

A major motion picture based on the book featured actor Greg Kinnear as Crandall.

Later during his Vietnam tour, Crandall demonstrated another act of heroism. While under enemy fire, using a flashlight to guide his UH-1 Huey helicopter, he dropped through dense jungle to rescue 12 wounded soldiers. For that action, he was awarded the first AVCO-Aviation/Space Writers Association Helicopter Heroism Award. This award is sponsored by the Aviation/Space Writers Association and AVCC Corporation, and is awarded to an individual for heroism efforts involving the use of helicopter..

During a second tour in Vietnam, in 1968, Crandall was downed during another rescue attempt and spent five months in the hospital. He resumed his military career, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1977.

Crandall was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame at Fort Rucker, Ala., in 2004. He also was the seventh Army inductee into the “Gathering of Eagles,” a U.S. Air Force organization that honors contributors to aviation.

Bush will present Crandall the Medal of Honor during a Feb. 26 White House ceremony.

After receiving the Medal of Honor, Crandall will join 111 other living recipients of the award, 60 of them awarded for actions in Vietnam, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

The Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration, is awarded "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force." Since it was first awarded during the Civil War, the medal has been awarded 3,461 times.

The Medal of Honor was last presented to the family of 22-year-old Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who died using his body to shield fellow Marines in Iraq from a hand grenade April 15, 2004. President Bush awarded Dunham’s Medal of Honor posthumously during a Jan. 11 ceremony at the White House.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3006

[Batman47]

Web special report: Major Bruce P. Crandall, Medal of Honor
http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/crandall/

Congressional Medal of Honor Society
http://www.cmohs.org

Army Aviator to be Awarded Medal of Honor
http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/02/09/1747-army-aviator-to-be-awarded-medal-of-ho nor

Newest Medal of Honor Recipient Inducted Into Pentagon Hall of Heroes
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2007 – Retired Army Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall was admitted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes today, one day after President Bush presented him the Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam.

Army Chief of Staff Peter J. Schoomaker praised Crandall, a helicopter pilot during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley on Nov. 14, 1965, who repeatedly volunteered to fly into heavy enemy fire to replenish besieged ground forces and evacuate wounded troops.

Crandall, then a major commanding Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), was transporting troops into Landing Zone X-ray when the ground troops came under a massive attack from the North Vietnamese Army. He and his wingman, Capt. Ed Freeman, spent more than 14 hours in the air, flying 70 wounded men to safety and providing a lifeline for ground troops, President Bush said yesterday at the White House.

During today’s induction ceremony, Schoomaker called 74-year-old Crandall a “profoundly brave man” who along with other military heroes, “help to make us better by their example.”

“His actions also remind us that, despite advances in doctrine and technology, war is still waged in the human dimension,” he said.

Pausing to recognize Crandall’s sacrifice in the face of near-certain death serves as a reminder of “our Army’s core values and the fact that those who lead must also be willing to serve,” Schoomaker said.

“The words of the warrior ethos that we have today – I will always place the mission first; I will never accept defeat; I will never quit; and I will never leave a fallen comrade – were made real that day on in the Ia Drang Valley,” he said.

Although the battle cost the United States 305 lives, the death toll would have been significantly higher if not for Crandall’s actions, Schoomaker said.

Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey praised Crandall as “the latest in a very select group of exceptional soldiers” who have earned the nation’s highest award for valor.

This award, “reserved for the bravest of the brave,” honors extraordinary personal bravery, self-sacrifice and courage, he said. “Based on Bruce’s actions that have earned him this award, it is clear that it was courage, along with love of soldiers and of country, that compelled Bruce to go above and beyond the call of duty to act without regard for his own personal safety, even in the face of mortal danger,” he said.

“The degree of courage to be awarded the Medal of Honor is so exceptionally high that in the last 100 years, only 1,239 Medals of Honor have been awarded,” he said.

After receiving his Medal of Honor yesterday, Crandall joined 111 other living American Medal of Honor recipients, 61 of them for service during the Vietnam War. Five attended today’s induction ceremony: retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert F. Foley, retired Army Col. Walter Marm Jr., Army Lt. Col. Gordon Roberts, former 1st Lt. Brian Thacker, and retired Marine Corps Col. Harvey Barnum Jr.

“The courage and fortitude of America’s soldiers in combat exemplified by these individuals is, without question, the highest level of human behavior,” Harvey said. “It demonstrates the basic goodness of mankind as well as the inherent kindness and patriotism of American soldiers.”

Harvey said this foundation of courage and fortitude, along with concern and care for their fellow soldiers, drives soldiers during the most difficult situations imaginable. “Fellow soldiers come first,” he said.

Crandall’s actions demonstrated the extent of that conviction, he said. “He truly answered the call to duty -- for his nation, his unit and most of all, for his fellow soldiers.” In doing so, Harvey said Crandall “truly demonstrated what it means to be Army strong.”

After unveiling his Medal of Honor photo and citation, along with a plaque inscribed with his name along with other Vietnam Medal of Honor recipients, Crandall downplayed his “hero” status.

Admitting that he had hoped to be drafted by a major league baseball team, not the Army, the former high school All-American said that if he had to do it all over again, he’d hope the Army would accept him.

Crandall praised the highly motivated, highly trained soldiers he served with in Vietnam. “We were motivated by brotherhood, by a belief in what we were doing and by having the skill levels and the training” the mission demanded, he said.

Crandall said he’s been asked how he could return again and again to Ia Drang Valley during that fateful day in November 1965. “That wasn’t a question that ever entered my mind,” he said. “The question would have been, ‘How could I not go in?’”

Medal of Honor recipient Roberts, who still serves on active duty and is stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., welcomed the opportunity to see Crandall join him and other members of the elite Medal of Honor society. “It’s tremendous to see this,” he said.

Former Spc. 4 Henry Llewellyn, who served under Crandall’s command after the battle of Ia Drang Valley, traveled from Pottstown, Pa., to see his former commander honored today. “He was an outstanding leader who led by example and with a sense of humor,” he said. “Whether they’re 8 or 80, everyone noticed him when they were around him. That’s the kind of personality he has. He’s a great American hero.”

Joe Galloway, a war correspondent during the Battle of Ia Drang who cowrote the story about it in “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” called today’s ceremony a long-overdue tribute to Crandall.

“He’s a great American,” Galloway said, and part of a team that pulled together in the face of overwhelming odds. He noted that he and the others could easily have become “a footnote in history” had it not been for the tremendous unity they demonstrated.

“We couldn’t have made it would each other,” he said. “And we’re here today to see honor done to one of our number because of all that teamwork.”
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3205

[Batman47]

Francis J. Harvey
http://www.army.mil/leaders/leaders/sa/biography.html

Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, USA
http://www.army.mil/leaders/leaders/csa/biography.html

Web Special
http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/crandall

Pilot Receives Medal of Honor for Heroism in Vietnam
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2007 – President Bush presented the Medal of Honor today to retired Army Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall, 41 years after heroic actions in Vietnam the president said demonstrate the best of America and its military members.

Bush praised Crandall’s heroism during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in November 1965, when he repeatedly flew into intensive enemy fire to rescue and resupply besieged 1st Cavalry Division ground troops.

Crandall proved himself “a daring pilot, a devoted soldier and a self-less leader” during the first major ground battle of the war at Landing Zone X-Ray near the Ia Drang River, he said.

The story of the mission is captured in the bestselling book and movie, “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young.”

Early on Nov. 14, 1965, Crandall, then a major commanding A Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), was transporting a battalion of soldiers into Landing Zone X-ray, Bush recounted. After several routine lifts into the area, the ground troops came under a massive attack from the North Vietnamese Army.

During Crandall’s next flight – a flight that left three soldiers on his helicopter killed and three more wounded – he remained at the landing zone in direct line of enemy fire so four wounded troops could be loaded aboard, the president said.

After returning the wounded troops to base for treatment, Crandall knew his mission was finished, Bush said, but couldn’t bring himself to abandon the ground troops who were outnumbered and low on ammunition. Crandall asked for volunteers to fly back to LZ X-ray, and Capt. Ed Freeman stepped forward.

“In their unarmed choppers, they flew through a cloud of smoke and a wave of bullets to deliver desperately needed supplies,” the president said. “They carried out more of the wounded, even though medical evacuation was really not their mission.”

Crandall would have been a hero if he had stopped there, Bush said. “But he didn’t stop,” he said. “He flew back into X-ray again and again--14 times he flew into what they called the ‘Valley of Death.’” He made those flights recognizing the extreme risk to his own life, he said.

Over the course of the day, Crandall flew three different choppers, with two of them damaged so badly they would no longer fly. “But he kept flying until every wounded man had been evacuated and every need of the battalion had been met,” Bush said.

By the day’s end, Crandall and Freeman had spent more than 14 hours in the air, evacuating 70 wounded men and providing a lifeline that allowed the battalion to survive, Bush said.

“To the men of Ia Drang, the image of Major Crandall’s helicopter coming to their rescue is one they will never forget,” Bush said. He noted that one officer who witnessed the actions called them “without question, the most valorous I’ve observed of any helicopter pilot in Vietnam” The battalion commander said that without Crandall, his battalion would have been overrun, Bush said, and another officer said, “I will always be in awe of Major Bruce Crandall.”

Bush noted that while others have praised Crandall, he never thought of himself as a hero. “There was never a consideration we would not go into those landing zones,” Bush said, quoting Crandall. “They were my people down there and they trusted in me to come and get them.”

Crandall’s character and leadership have grown clearer over the years, Bush said. He went on to make more rescue flights, served a second tour in Vietnam, retired from the military and worked in his local government in Washington state.

Perhaps most telling, Bush said, was Crandall’s decision to withdraw his own name from consideration for the Medal of Honor to ensure that Freeman would receive his. Bush presented Freeman the honor in July 2001.

“Today, the story comes to its rightful conclusion” as Crandall finally receives his Medal of Honor, Bush said.

“In men like Bruce Crandall, we really see the best of America,” he said. “He and his fellow soldiers were brave, brave folks. They were as noble and selfless as any who have ever worn our nation’s uniform.”

Bush remembered the comrades who gave their lives and those still missing and said the sadness their families ensured hasn’t diminished with time.

The suffering and grief could have been far worse, he said, had it not been for men like Crandall. “For the soldiers rescued, for the men who came home, for the children they had and the lives they made, America is in debt to Bruce Crandall,” he said. “It is a debt our nation can never really fully repay, but today we recognize it as the best as we’re able, and we bestow upon this good and gallant man the Medal of Honor.”

Several books about the battle recognize Crandall and Freeman’s contributions. Among the most well-known is the bestselling “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” cowritten by Lt. Gen. Harold Moore, commanding officer of infantry units in X-ray, and Joseph Galloway, a combat reporter who was in the landing zone during the battle.

A major motion picture based on the book featured actor Greg Kinnear as Crandall.

After receiving the Medal of Honor, Crandall joins 111 other living recipients of the award, 60 of them awarded for actions in Vietnam, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

The Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration, is awarded "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force." Since it was first awarded during the Civil War, the medal has been awarded 3,461 times.

The Medal of Honor was last presented to the family of 22-year-old Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who died using his body to shield fellow Marines in Iraq from a hand grenade April 15, 2004. President Bush awarded Dunham’s Medal of Honor posthumously during a Jan. 11 ceremony at the White House.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3186

[Batman47]

President Bush Presents the Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Crandall
East Room

2:30 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Welcome. I am pleased that you all are here on a very special day. Presenting the Medal of Honor is one of the great privileges for the President. The medal is the highest military decoration a President can confer. This medal is awarded for actions above and beyond the call of duty.

Today I am proud to bestow this medal on a daring pilot, a devoted soldier and a selfless leader, Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Crandall. I welcome Bruce and his wife, Arlene, back to the White House. I congratulate you on 50 years of marriage. She must be a patient woman. (Laughter.) I also am glad that their three sons and three of their grandchildren are here. Welcome. I'm especially pleased that some of Bruce's comrades have joined us.

As an officer, Bruce always put his men before himself. Today, his men are here for him. And this afternoon, 41 years after his heroic actions in Vietnam, America recognizes Bruce Crandall with our highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.

I appreciate Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates, joining us today. Mr. Secretary, you're always welcome here at the White House. I appreciate the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Jim Nicholson, welcome. I appreciate members of the United States Congress who have joined us, starting with the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Ted Stevens, the Senator from Alaska. Congressman Norm Dicks, who happens to be the U.S. Congressman from Colonel Crandall's district. Congressman, welcome. Congressman Jim Marshall, Congressman Patrick Murphy, we are glad you're here. Thank you for coming.

I appreciate very much Dr. Fran Harvey, Secretary of the Army; General Pete Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; General Pete Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

I thank all the other members of the military who joined us. I particularly want to say thanks and welcome to the Medal of Honor recipients who are with us today: Harvey "Barney" Barnum, Bob Foley, Jack Jacobs, Joe Marm, Bob Patterson, Al Rascon, Gordon Roberts and Brian Thacker. Welcome.

I appreciate the family, friends and comrades of Bruce Crandall. David Hicks, thank you for your blessings.

The journey that brought Bruce Crandall to this day began 74 years ago in Olympia, Washington. Growing up, Bruce was a gifted athlete and a bit of a handful. (Laughter.) A teacher once observed that he had "a unique ability to get into trouble and out of trouble without any trouble at all." (Laughter.) At Olympia High School, Bruce was named an All American in baseball. He batted .612 for the league champs -- I think we better check the scorecards. (Laughter.) His dream was to be drafted by the New York Yankees. Instead he got drafted by the U.S. Army. (Laughter.)

He was commissioned as an officer, trained as an aviator. His early career took him on mapping missions over Alaska, and North Africa, and Latin America. In 1963, he reported to Fort Benning to help lead a new unit that would become known as the air cavalry. Two years later, he arrived in Vietnam as a major, and as a commanding officer in the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion.

As a leader, Major Crandall earned the respect of his men with his honesty and his humor. He earned their admiration with his remarkable control over a Huey. His radio call sign was "Ancient Serpent 6," which his men shortened to "Old Snake." (Laughter.) Or sometimes, they used a more colorful nickname -- (laughter) -- which we better not pronounce. (Laughter.)

On the morning of November 14, 1965, Major Crandall's unit was transporting a battalion of soldiers to a remote spot in the la Drang Valley, to a landing zone called X-Ray. After several routine lifts into the area, the men on the ground came under a massive attack from the North Vietnamese army. On Major Crandall's next flight, three soldiers on his helicopter were killed, three more were wounded. But instead of lifting off to safety, Major Crandall kept his chopper on the ground -- in the direct line of enemy fire -- so that four wounded soldiers could be loaded aboard.

Major Crandall flew the men back to base, where the injuries could be treated. At that point, he had fulfilled his mission. But he knew that soldiers on the ground were outnumbered and low on ammunition. So Major Crandall decided to fly back into X-Ray. He asked for a volunteer to join him. Captain Ed Freeman stepped forward. In their unarmed choppers, they flew through a cloud of smoke and a wave of bullets. They delivered desperately needed supplies. They carried out more of the wounded, even though medical evacuation was really not their mission.

If Major Crandall had stopped here he would have been a hero. But he didn't stop. He flew back into X-Ray again and again. Fourteen times he flew into what they called the Valley of Death. He made those flights knowing that he faced what was later described as an "almost unbelievably extreme risk to his life." Over the course of the day, Major Crandall had to fly three different choppers. Two were damaged so badly they could not stay in the air. Yet he kept flying until every wounded man had been evacuated and every need of the battalion had been met.

[Batman47]

When they touched down on their last flight, Major Crandall and Captain Freeman had spent more than 14 hours in the air. They had evacuated some 70 wounded men. They had provided a lifeline that allowed the battalion to survive the day.

To the men of la Drang, the image of Major Crandall's helicopter coming to their rescue is one they will never forget. One officer who witnessed the battle wrote, "Major Crandall's actions were without question the most valorous I've observed of any helicopter pilot in Vietnam." The battalion commander said, "Without Crandall, this battalion would almost have surely been overrun." Another officer said, "I will always be in awe of Major Bruce Crandall."

For his part, Bruce has never seen it that way. Here's what he said: "There was never a consideration that we would not go into those landing zones. They were my people down there, and they trusted in me to come and get them."

As the years have passed, Bruce Crandall's character and leadership have only grown clearer. He went on to make more rescue flights in Vietnam. He served a second tour, and he retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel. As a private citizen, he's continued to serve. He's worked in local government, and he speaks to students all across our country. One of his favorite stops is Midland, Texas. (Laughter.) It happens [to be] where Laura and I grew up. In fact, he's been to Midland so many times they gave him the key of the city. It's not exactly the Medal of Honor. (Laughter.) It's not a bad thing to have. (Laughter.) Maybe one day I'll get a key to the city. (Laughter.)

A few years ago, Bruce learned he was being considered for our nation's highest military distinction. When he found out that Captain Freeman had also been nominated, Bruce insisted that his own name be withdrawn. If only one of them were to receive the Medal of Honor, he wanted it to be his wingman. So when I presented the Medal to Captain Freeman in 2001, Bruce was here in the White House. Captain Freeman wished he were here today, but he got snowed in, in Iowa. His spirit is with us. Today the story comes to its rightful conclusion: Bruce Crandall receives the honor he always deserved.

In men like Bruce Crandall, we really see the best of America. He and his fellow soldiers were brave, brave folks. They were as noble and selfless as any who have ever worn our nation's uniform. And on this day of pride, we remember their comrades who gave their lives and those who are still missing. We remember the terrible telegrams that arrived at Fort Benning, the families devastated, the children who traced their father's name on panel three-east of the Vietnam Memorial wall.

Our sadness has not diminished with time. Yet we're also comforted by the knowledge that the suffering and grief could have been far worse. One of the reasons it was not is because of the man we honor today. For the soldiers rescued, for the men who came home, for the children they had and the lives they made, America is in debt to Bruce Crandall. It's a debt our nation can never really fully repay, but today we recognize it as best as we're able, and we bestow upon this good and gallant man the Medal of Honor.

Commander, please read the citation.

(The citation is read and the medal is presented.) (Applause.)

END 2:44 P.M. EST
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070226-6.html

Web Special
http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/crandall