It is the nation's highest military honor-- the Medal of Honor. On Monday, Bruce Crandall will receive it during a White House Ceremony for his role in the first big battle in the Vietnam War. "I don't think you can tell what a thrill that is or how important it is, in words. Other soldiers will know," says Crandall. "I'm very proud of him," says his wife Arlene.
You won't find many heroes who admit they are. "Are you a hero?" I asked him in his Manchester [WA] home. "No.... No. The simple answer is no," says the 74-year-old Vietnam veteran.
A major in the Army, the helicopter pilot and mission commander survived enemy fire, rescued dozens of soldiers in the battle of Ia Drang in November of 1965. "Like on the 5th lift, I had 3 dead and 3 wounded on my aircraft when I got back to the pick up point. And my crew chief had been shot through the throat, and the radio operator was killed in his seat," Crandall says.
Crandall had faith he would survive. "I don't even consider dying. I've already lived 18 years longer than anyone in my family," says Crandall.
He's lived long enough to have a famous actor play him. Greg Kinnear portrays him in the 2002 movie "We Were Soldiers". "It was wonderful except I was better looking at that age," Crandall says as he laughs. Crandall was a consultant on the film that starred Mel Gibson.
Bruce Crandall and his wife Arlene fly out to Washington, D.C. Friday. He'll receive the Medal of Honor Monday, 42 years after the Battle of Ia Drang. |