Crandall, Bruce Perry

Early years

Crandall was born in 1933 and grew up in Olympia , the capital of Washington. Attended public schools, while studying in high school, he became an amateur basketball player (All-American). After graduating from William Winlock Miller High School, he entered the University of Washington in Seattle , in 1953 joined the US Army during the Korean War ^{[3] [4]} .

March 31, 1956 entered into marriage with Arlen. They had three sons and five grandchildren. Arlen died from cancer on November 2, 2010 ^[5] . As of 2011, Crandall resided in Washington state ^[3] .

In 1954, Crandall was selected for the school of candidates for engineering officers in Fort Belvior, Virginia , which he graduated from. He was sent for training on fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters conducted by the Air Force and the US Army, and at the end of the training, he was assigned to the Army Aviation mapping group housed in Presidio San Francisco. Then the group was considered the "largest military flying aircraft in the world" ^[3] .

Crandall began piloting Cessna L-19 Bird Dogs and de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers in Alaska for military topographic surveys. His first overseas service was the Wilus airbase in Tripoli , Libya . There he mapped desert areas for two years, piloting de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter, Beaver , Birddog and OH-23 Raven airplanes as a pilot instructor and test pilot ^[3] .

The next overseas services for Crandall were flights over thousands of square miles of still uncharted mountains and jungles in Central and South America. Crandall performed these missions from the Howard, Panama and Costa Rica Air Force Base. During his service as part of the 11th Air Assault Division, Crandall helped develop air strike tactics as a platoon commander. In early 1965, he joined the expeditionary forces in the Dominican Republic as a communications officer for the 18th Airborne Corps ^[3] .

Vietnam War

During this year he was transferred to Vietnam . The United States entered the Vietnamese civil war, defending South Vietnam from communist North Vietnam . Crandall commanded company A of the 229th assault helicopter battalion of the First Cavalry Division in An Khe, Vietnam. Using the call sign "Old Kite 6" he led an air force to support eight land battalions ^[3] .

As part of company A of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion Crandall, on November 14, 1965, he led the first major operation of the division in the Vietnam War, dropping parts of the first and second battalions of the seventh and fifth cavalry regiments of the US Army in landing zone X during the battle in the Yah-Drang valley ^{[ 6]} .

During the ensuing battle, he and his comrade Ed Freeman were noted for the evacuation of over 70 wounded soldiers. Twelve of these fourteen flights (18 according to other sources ^[6] ) were performed after the evacuation service refused to disembark in the zone of intense fighting. Within 16 hours (from 06.00 to 22.30), Krendoll transported more than 75 injured fighters in his helicopters. He stated: "It was the longest day I spent on any kind of aircraft." During the day, he changed several helicopters, as they received severe damage ^[6] .

Crandall and Freeman were also noted for delivering ammunition for the Seventh Cavalry Regiment, which literally helped the regiment survive. The helicopter he piloted was unarmed ^[3] . Crandall was initially awarded the Cross For Distinguished Service ^[7] . On February 26, 2007, his award was changed to a higher one - the Medal of Honor , which he was presented by President George W. Bush himself at a ceremony in the Eastern Office of the White House ^[8] .

On January 31, 1966, during the operation "Mascher" (the first joint operation of the American and South Vietnamese armies ), Crandall supported the first battalion of the 12th Infantry Regiment all day. When he returned to refuel and overnight stay, he learned that company X of the 1st battalion of the 7th regiment had a heavy battle with the enemy, twelve wounded soldiers needed to be evacuated. The soldiers were pressed to the ground, holding a small perimeter. The detachment was commanded by Crandall’s friend, who participated in the battle in the Ea-Drang valley, with infantry captain Tony Nadal ^[9] .

Crandall refueled and returned to the battlefield. He received information that the gathering area was surrounded by trees on three sides, that Med Evac refused to land there even during the day. To reduce the risk of grazing trees, he decided to sit upright. The night was moonless and the sky - overcast, which extremely complicated the flight ^[9] .

Crandall did not want the enemy to notice the lights of his helicopter, he could also threaten the soldiers who defended the landing zone and the wounded soldiers by lighting them up. Instead of using the landing lights, he asked Nidal to illuminate the center of the landing zone with a lamp. Crandall landed twice under heavy enemy fire and successfully removed all 12 wounded soldiers ^[9] .

Having been assigned to Colorado , Crandall attended an army headquarters college there. Soon he again went to Vietnam, where he piloted the “significantly improved” AN-1 Cobra helicopter supporting the first battalion of the 9th cavalry squadron of the first cavalry division ^[3] .

In January 1968, at the end of the four months of his second round in Vietnam, Crandall’s helicopter was shot down during a rescue operation, due to the close breaks in the US Air Force bombs. Crandall had to spend five months in the hospital with a broken back and other injuries. In 1969, he received an entry degree from the University of Nebraska . Crandall was assigned to Bangkok ( Thailand ) where he became an engineer, with 3,800 people under his command. Then he served as deputy chief of staff, deputy commander of the installation and commander of the 5th combat sapper battalion (all units were stationed at Fort Leonard Wood) in Missouri ^[3] .

Late years

The next assignment was to be South America, in connection with which he and his wife Arlen visited the Institute of Languages ​​of the Ministry of Defense in Monterey , California , learning Spanish . He was awaited the post of adviser on aviation and engineering issues in Argentina , but Crandall suffered a stroke and the appointment did not take place. Crandall's pilot career was over. Still, language training was useful to Crandollah when, after recovery, he was sent to Caracas , Venezuela as director of the Department of Defense for Cartography during the inter-American geodetic survey ^[3] .

The last post in the US Army for Crandall was the post of senior adviser in the California National Guard. In 1977, he resigned from the army with the rank of lieutenant colonel ^[3] .

After resigning from the army, Crandall received a master's degree in public administration from Golden Gate University (San Francisco, California) in 1977. He worked in public service, spent three years as a manager in Dunsmuir, California. Then he and his wife left California and moved to Mesa , Arizona , where he worked for 17 years in the department of public works, the last four as public works manager. His wife died on November 2, 2010 and was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery .

On April 15, 2010, more than 30 years after the resignation, Bruce Crandall was promoted to colonel (retired) in recognition of his merits and awarding the Medal of Honor. The ceremony took place at an aviation association meeting in Fort Ward , Texas ^[1] .

Crandall attended the unveiling of the monument to LeRoy Petri, who was awarded the Medal of Honor in Santa Fe , New Mexico .

Crandall currently resides in Washington State. On November 17, 2013, he raised the “Twelfth” flag on the football game of the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings teams during the Salute to Service ceremony of the Seattle Seahawks team ^[10] .

On February 26, 2007, Crandall was awarded the Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush for his actions in the battle of Ea Drang.

For outstanding courage and bravery shown at risk to life while performing duty and going beyond it: Major Bruce P. Crandall distinguished himself due to his extraordinary heroism as squadron commander in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving in company A of the 229th assault helicopter battalion of the first cavalry division (airmobile). On November 14, 1965, his squadron from sixteen helicopters delivered troops to the X-Ray landing zone for a search and extermination mission at Plei Mi. During the fourth transport of troops, helicopters came under enemy fire and when the helicopter was refueled and returned for subsequent troop transfer, the enemy already attacked the X-Ray landing zone. When Major Crandall and eight helicopters arrived for the fifth time in order to land the troops his unarmed helicopter fell under such dense enemy fire that the commander on the ground ordered the second group of eight helicopters to stop the mission. When Major Crandall flew back to Play Mi, his base of operations, he realized that the commander of the besieged infantryman desperately needed more ammunition. Therefore, Major Crandall decided to move his base of operations to the Falcon support base for artillery support in order to shorten the flight distance for the delivery of ammunition and the evacuation of wounded soldiers. Although the medical evacuation was not his task, he immediately convened volunteers and, with complete disregard for his own safety, led two flights to the X-Ray landing area. Despite the fact that in fact the landing zone was under unrelenting enemy fire, Major Crandall landed a helicopter and followed the loading of seriously wounded soldiers aboard his aircraft. Major Crandall’s voluntary decision to land under extremely powerful fire has awakened the will and spirit of other pilots to continue their helicopter landing and the ground forces inspired the belief that they would bring ammunition and their wounded would be immediately evacuated. This greatly increased morale and the will to fight at a critical moment. After his first medical evacuation, Major Crandall continued to fly to the landing zone during the day and evening. On this day, he made only 22 sorties, most of them under dense enemy fire, leaving the battlefield only after th, as he rendered all possible assistance to the infantry battalion. By his actions, he provided the critical supply and evacuation of the wounded. The bold actions of Major Crandall in the face of a superior and motivated opponent supported the highest traditions of military service and brought a high honor to him, his units and the US Army.

Original Text (Eng.)

For bruce and other respects, it is important to note that it was a special heroism. 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). On the 14th of November 1965, he went on a trip to the Ian Drang Valley. The X-Ray has chosen to make it out. As a rule, I’m losing a lot of peace. As the major commander of the fleet back, it is determined that he would be more comfortable with his ammunition. Falcons then scored against them. He wanted to see the X-Ray. Regardless of the fact that the wounded soldiers were aboard his aircraft. It will be respected and will be promptly evacuated. It is greatly enhanced. He has been in the wild for a long time. That was the number of flights from the battlefield, the most under intense, and the firefighter retiring from the battlefield. His actions provided critical resupply of ammunition and evacuation of the wounded. It has been decided that it has been the case for its international community.

In 1994, Krendoll was included in the program of the US Air Force "Gathering of Eagles", becoming one of seven army aviators who received this honor ^[9] and in 2004 was introduced into the hall of glory of army aviation ^[11] .

For his courage at entering “Mascher,” Crandall received the Aviation & Space Writers Award Helicopter Heroism Award for 1966 ^[3] . At the 20th annual ceremony, rescue pilots were rated higher than pilots in the previous 20 years of awards ^[9] .

Olympia High School baseball field was named after Lieutenant Colonel Crandall at a ceremony during the 2003 season. Crandall played baseball for his All-American association school.

Crandolle was entrusted with the 2011 2011 Indianapolis 500 race ^[12] .

April 5, 2011 Crandall became an honorary member of the first squadron of the sixth cavalry regiment. Colonel Crandall was added to the squadron lists at the squadron ball when he participated in awarding officers and sergeants with the Order of St. Michael He got the white buckle of the first squadron. This unit successfully participated in the Iraq war and Operation New Dawn ^[13] .

Crandall's feat (like many other military personnel) in the battle of Ia-Drang is described in the book by Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young and the film We Were Soldiers 2002, the role of Crandall was played by actor Greg Kinnear . Crandall acted as an aviation consultant during the filming of the film in 2001.

In February 2006, a resolution was issued at the University of Washington recommending the installation of the monument to honor the graduate Pappi Boington, an air ace who won the Medal of Honor for service during World War II ^[14] . During the discussion in the student senate resolution was rejected. Some suggested that the sponsor of the resolution was not fully aware of the financial and logistical problems of installing the monument, others asked: should all warriors and acts of heroism automatically deserve monuments? ^[15] The story was spread on blogs and news releases of a conservative persuasion. The focus was on two statements by two student senators ^[16] . One senator Ashley Miller stated that there were many monuments to “rich white people” at the University of Washington, while the ancestors of Boington were Sioux Indians and he himself was not rich ^[17] and was not rich); ^[18] . Another senator, Jill Edwards, asked whether the university should perpetuate the memory of the one who killed other people and summed up that “Marines are not the sort of people that Washington University would like to produce” ^[19] .

After the refusal, a new draft resolution on the erection of a monument to all eight graduates of Washington University was awarded with medals of Honor. On April 4, 2006, the resolution passed with 64 votes in favor, with 14 abstentions. The monument was erected on the southern edge of the Memorial Way (NE 17th Avenue), north of the university’s central square in the middle of the ring road between Parrington and Kane Halls . Construction was financed from private funds and was completed for the celebration of veterans day in November 2009 ^[22] . The monument was erected in honor of Deming Bronson, Bruce Crandall, Robert Galer, John Hawke, Robert Lacy, William Nakamura, and Archie van Winkle ^{[23] [24] [25] [26]} .

Ordinary people
Faced with extraordinary circumstances
With courage and dedication answered the call
and changed the course of fate
medal of honor

Original Text (Eng.)

Ordinal individuals
facing extraordinary circumstances
with courage and selflessness
answer the call
and change the course of destiny.
Medal of honor

Crandall received the following awards and insignia: ^{[3] [4]}

• Crandall also received the Sniper's Buckle (Expert Marksmanship Badge) and the Sharpshooter Marksmanship Badge badge.

• Bruce P.Crandall - Medal of Honor, US Army (English) . US Army, army.mil. The appeal date is February 15, 2010.
• Gomez, Ian . Vietnam pilot to receive Medal of Honor ( USA ) , USA Today (February 22, 2007).

• Office of the Press Secretary . President Bush Presents the Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Crandall (eng.) , Www.whitehouse.gov (26 February 2007).
• Template: Hall of Valor
• Interview with Bruce P Crandall . Pritzker Military Museum & Library (22 April 2008). The appeal date is February 15, 2010.
• Medal of Honor Recipients on Film