Bruce Perry Crandall

Bruce Perry Crandall was born in Olympia, Washington on February 17, 1933. It sits on the South Puget Sound and is 50 miles southwest of Seattle. He had an early interest in flying, engineering, and exploration. Bruce graduated from Olympia High School in 1951, where he played sports and was an All-American baseball player. But he did not graduate from college at that time. He took college courses in civil engineering before being drafted into the Army during the Korean War in 1953. The Army ended his dream of a pro baseball career and started an Army career.

His technical aptitude and mathematical ability later helped him qualify for Army Engineer Officer Candidate School (OCS) and specialized flight training. Bruce completed fixed-wing and rotary-wing flight school, becoming an aviation officer and mapping pilot. He had a great time piloting a mapping aircraft

for the Army Topographic Command in exotic locations such as: Alaska, North Africa, South America, Central America and the Middle East.

Then, world events placed him in Vietnam after he learned how to fly Army helicopters. In 1965, he was in the Battle of la Drang. As a Major commanding an air assault helicopter company (Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division), Crandall flew 22 missions under heavy enemy fire on November 14, 1965, delivering ammunition and evacuating over 70 wounded soldiers from LZ X-Ray. His wingman was Captain Ed “Too Tall To Fly” Freeman of Mississippi. They received Silver Stars for their actions. Those were later upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

His actions directly saved lives and helped prevent the annihilation of U.S. forces pinned down in the first major battle between U.S. and North Vietnamese regulars. He completed a second combat tour as Operations Officer for the 1st Cavalry Division aviation group during the period 1966-1968.

He was presented with a medal by President George W. Bush on February 26, 2007.

His citation reads:

Major Bruce Crandall distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism as a Flight Commander in the Republic of Vietnam while serving with Company A, 229^th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). On 14 November 1965, his flight of sixteen helicopters was lifting troops for a search and destroy mission from Plei Me, Vietnam, to Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley. On the fourth troop lift, the enemy had Landing Zone X-Ray targeted. As Major Crandall and the first eight helicopters landed to discharge troops on his fifth troop lift, his unarmed helicopter came under such intense enemy fire that the ground commander ordered the second flight of eight aircraft to abort their mission. As Major Crandall flew back to Plei Me, his base of operations, he determined that the ground commander of the besieged infantry battalion desperately needed more ammunition. Major Crandall then decided to adjust his base of operations to Artillery Firebase Falcon in order to shorten the flight distance to deliver ammunition and evacuate wounded soldiers. While medical evacuation was not his mission, he immediately sought volunteers and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, led the two aircraft to Landing Zone X-Ray. Despite the fact that the landing zone was still under relentless enemy fire, Major Crandall landed and proceeded to supervise the loading of seriously wounded soldiers aboard the aircraft. Major Crandall’s voluntary decision to land under the most extreme fire instilled in the other pilots the will and spirit to continue to land their own aircraft, and in the ground forces the realization that they would be resupplied and that friendly wounded would be promptly evacuated. This greatly enhanced morale and the will to fight at a critical time. After his first medical evacuation, Major Crandall continued to fly into and out of the landing zone throughout the day and into the evening. That day he completed a total of 22 flights, most under intense enemy fire, retiring from the battlefield only after all possible service had been rendered to the Infantry battalion. His actions provided a critical resupply of ammunition and evacuation of the wounded. Major Crandall’s daring acts of bravery and courage in the face of an overwhelming and determined enemy are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

After Vietnam, Crandall served in various Army aviation leadership, training, and management positions. Bruce was focused on aviation safety programs and rotary-wing development as the Army transitioned to more advanced helicopter technology. He retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel after 24 years of service.

Beyond Service

What does a MOH recipient do after military service? He continued his education, obtaining a master’s degree from Golden State University. Bruce Crandall continued to apply his engineering and logistics expertise to civilian roles, including Director of Public Works in Mesa, Arizona, and later in California cities such as Sacramento and Santa Rosa. He managed infrastructure planning, public utilities, and city development projects.

Crandall and Freeman’s actions were captured in a 2002 book by Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway titled “We Were Soldiers Once, and Young.” which was turned into a movie of the same name starring Mel Gibson.