Posted on 05/16/2021 3:13:40 PM PDT by Leaning Right
Perhaps it was the way he carried himself in an unassuming and humble manner, but day after day hundreds of Air Force Academy cadets would pass this janitor in the hall oblivious to the greatness that was among them.
In the mid-1970s, William Crawford might spend one day sweeping the halls and another cleaning the bathrooms, but it was a day approximately 30 years prior that would create for him a special place in the history of war. In 1943 in Italy, the only thing Private William Crawford was cleaning out was German machine gun nest and bunkers.
Under heavy fire and at great risk to himself, his gallantry was so audacious that it earned him the Medal of Honor and the respect of any man who witnessed his actions. And yet, for the cadets at the Air Force Academy, it would take a student’s study of the Allied campaign in Italy to realize who it was that walked among them.
(Excerpt) Read more at warhistoryonline.com ...
Only one living WW2 MOH recipient. That war is rapidly slipping from living memory and into the pages of history.
Fantastic story, and it’s great that President Reagan was able to present the medal to him.
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