Bruce P. Crandall
| Bruce Perry Crandall | |
|---|---|
Crandall in the mid-1960s
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "Snake", "Snakeshit" |
| Born |
February 17, 1933 Olympia, Washington, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1953–1977 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Distinguished Flying Cross (4) Bronze Star Purple Heart |
| Other work | City Manager of Dunsmuir, Public Works Manager of Mesa |
Bruce Perry Crandall (born February 17, 1933) is a retired U.S. Army officer who received the Medal of Honor for his actions as a pilot during the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965 in South Vietnam. During the battle, he flew 22 missions in an unarmed helicopter into enemy fire to evacuate more than 70 wounded and bring ammunition and supplies to US forces. By the end of the Vietnam War, he had flown more than 900 combat missions.
After retiring from the Army as a lieutenant colonel, Crandall worked several jobs in different states before settling down with his wife in his home state of Washington.
Crandall was born in 1933 and raised in Olympia, Washington, the capital of the state. He attended public schools, and during high school became an All-American baseball player. After graduating from William Winlock Miller High School, he attended the University of Washington in Seattle until being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953 during the Korean War.
He married his wife Arlene on March 31, 1956 and they had three sons together. They have five grandchildren. Arlene died on November 2, 2010, from cancer. As of 2011, Crandall lives in Washington.
Crandall was selected for and graduated from Engineer Officer Candidate School, Fort Belvoir, Virginia in 1954. He was sent to fixed-wing and helicopter training conducted by the United States Air Force and United States Army; after graduating, he was assigned to an Army Aviation mapping group based at the Presidio of San Francisco. It was then "the largest flying military aviation unit in the world".
...
Wikipedia