Bruce P. Crandall
United States Army Medal of Honor recipient / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Bruce P. Crandall?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Bruce Perry Crandall (born February 17, 1933)[2] is a retired United States 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 a Bell Huey helicopter into enemy fire to evacuate more than 70 wounded and bring ammunition and supplies to United States forces. His actions in the battle of the Ia Drang valley were portrayed by actor Greg Kinnear in the Mel Gibson film, We Were Soldiers. By the end of the Vietnam War, he had flown more than 900 combat missions. He retired from the army as a lieutenant colonel and worked several jobs in different states before settling down with his wife in his home state of Washington.
Bruce P. Crandall | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | "Snake", "Snakeshit" |
Born | (1933-02-17) February 17, 1933 (age 91) Olympia, Washington |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1953–1977 |
Rank | Colonel[1] |
Battles/wars | Operation Power Pack Vietnam War |
Awards | Medal of Honor Distinguished Flying Cross (4) Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal (3) Air Medal (23) |
Spouse(s) |
Arlene Shaffer
(m. 1956; died 2010) |
Relations | 3 children, 5 grandchildren |
Other work | City Manager of Dunsmuir, California Public Works Manager of Mesa, Arizona |