Live Webcast: Medal of Honor Ceremony
Live Webcast: Hall of Heroes Ceremony
MEDAL OF HONOR
Vietnam WarLive Webcast: Medal of Honor Ceremony
Watch the Medal of Honor ceremony live webcast, March 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM EST
President Donald J. Trump will award the Medal of Honor to Col. Bruce P. Crandall for his heroic acts during the Vietnam War.
Live Webcast: Hall of Heroes Induction
Watch the Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony live webcast, March 3, 2026 at 11:00 AM EST
The U.S. Army will induct Col. Bruce P. Crandall into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. The Pentagon ceremony will add Col. Bruce P. Crandall's name to the distinguished roster in the Hall of Heroes, the Defense Department's permanent display of record for all recipients of the Medal of Honor.
"I will always be in awe of Col. Bruce Crandall for his extraordinary bravery and brilliant flying skills under the most difficult wartime conditions — flying continuously into a hot LZ to support a U.S. battalion surrounded by elements of three Vietnamese regiments. By risking his own life in leading these hazardous flights, Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall provided exceptional leadership to the rest of his company which continued throughout the three-day ordeal. "
John D. Herren
Colonel, retired, United States Army
Excerpt from nomination letter written on behalf of Col. Bruce Crandall
Colonel Bruce P. Crandall
born
February 17, 1933
hometown
Olympia, Washington
Unit
A Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
Deployments
Dominican Republic Expeditionary Force; two tours of Vietnam
A Master Army Aviator
Retired Lt. Col. Crandall is a veteran Master Army Aviator in both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. He led over 900 combat missions during two tours in Vietnam. Born in 1933, Crandall grew up in Olympia, Wash., where he played baseball and became a high school All-American athlete. He was drafted into the Army in 1953.
After commissioning and graduation from fixed-wing and helicopter training conducted by the Air Force and Army, he was assigned to a mapping group based out of the Presidio of San Francisco "that at the time was the largest flying military aviation unit in the world." From there he went to fly L-19 Bird Dogs and L-20 Beavers in Alaska, again for topographic studies. Crandall's first overseas flying assignment was to Wheelus Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya, mapping the desert for two years flying YU-1 Otter, L-20 Beaver, L-19 Bird Dog and H-23 Raven aircraft as an instructor pilot and unit test pilot.
His next overseas tours were flying over thousands of square miles of previously unmapped mountains and jungles in Central and South America. For this mission, he was based out of Howard Air Force Base, Panama, and Costa Rica. While assigned to the 11th Air Assault Division, Crandall helped develop air-assault tactics as a platoon commander. In early 1965, he joined the Dominican Republic Expeditionary Force as a liaison to the 18th Airborne Corps. Later that year, he would command the 1st Cavalry Division's Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion at An Khe, Vietnam. Using the call sign "Ancient Serpent 6," he led a flying unit supporting eight battalions on the ground.
On Nov. 14, 1965, Crandall led the first major division operation of airmobile troops into Landing Zone X-Ray in Vietnam's Ia Drang Valley and is credited with evacuating some 70 wounded comrades with his wing man and fellow Medal of Honor recipient Maj. Ed Freeman. The two also flew in the ammunition needed for the 1st Bn., 7th Cav. Regiment to survive. The craft he was flying was unarmed.
In January 1966, during the first combined American and South Vietnamese Army operation, "Operation Masher,"" Crandall, while under intense enemy fire and with only a spot flashlight beam to guide him , twice dropped his Huey helicopter through the dense jungle canopy to rescue 12 wounded Soldiers. For his courage in that incident Crandall received the Aviation & Space Writers Helicopter Heroism Award for 1966.
After an assignment in Colorado, he attended the Armed Forces Staff College. Soon he was back in Vietnam, this time flying Huey gunships — "a big improvement" — supporting the 1st Bn., 9th Cavalry Squadron, 1st Cav. Div.
In January 1968, four months into his second tour, Crandall's helicopter was downed during another rescue attempt due to Air Force bombs going off too close to where he was flying. After five months in the hospital, with a broken back and other injuries, he resumed his career as a student earning a degree through the University of Nebraska in 1969. In Bangkok, Thailand, he would become a facility engineer managing 3,800 people. He subsequently served as deputy chief of staff, deputy installation commander, and commander of the 5th Engineer Combat Bn., all at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
PHOTO: Ancient Serpent 6 — Emblem painted on Lt. Col. Crandall's Huey.
South America was supposed to be his next assignment, and he and his wife, Arlene, attended the Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California, as Spanish language students in preparation for an role as aviation and engineering advisor to Argentina — an assignment that never came. A stroke sidelined Crandall, ending his flying career. After his recovery, the Crandalls did find the language training useful when he was sent to Caracas, Venezuela as the Defense Mapping Agency's director for the Interamerican Geodetic Survey.
In his final Army assignment, he served as senior engineer advisor to the California Army National Guard. Crandall retired from the Army in 1977 as a lieutenant colonel. Utilizing his master's degree in public administration, Crandall became city manager of Dunsmuir, California, for three years. He and Arlene then moved to Mesa, Arizona, where he served in the Public Works Department for 13 years, the last four as the public works manager.
In 1994, Crandall was inducted into the Air Force's "Gathering of Eagles" — an organization set up to recognize pioneers of aviation and heroic flyers. In 2001, Crandall was an aviation consultant on a movie about the Ia Drang Valley battle. The movie, based on the book "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young" was released in 2002. In 2004, Crandall was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame.
Throughout his career, Crandall was honored with many awards and decorations, including: the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster; the Bronze Star Medal; the Meritorious Service Medal; the Air Medal (24 awards); the Army Commendation Medal; the Purple Heart; the National Defense Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster; the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; the Vietnam Service Medal (four campaigns); the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with 60 device; a Presidential Unit Citation; a Meritorious Unit Citation; the Master Army Aviator Badge; the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star (three awards) and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal.
He and Arlene, married in 1956, have three sons and five grandchildren. The Crandalls live in Manchester, Washington.
PHOTO: Retired Col. Bruce Crandall, a Medal of Honor recipient, poses for a picture with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Task Force Lobos, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division March 28, 2012. Photo coutersy of DVIDS.
Army Maj. Bruce Crandall's UH-1D Iroquois helicopter climbs skyward after discharging a load of infantrymen on a search-and-destroy mission in Vietnam.
The Battle
Flights of Daring Bravery and Courage
November 14 - 16, 1965 | Plei Me, Landing Zone X-Ray, la Drang Valley, Vietnam
The 1st Cavalry Division
The 1st Cavalry Division shoulder sleeve insignia. The traditional Cavalry color of yellow and the horse's head is symbolic of the original organizational structure of the Cavalry. The color black is symbolic of iron, alluding to the organizational transition from mounted horses to tanks and heavy armor. Read Full Unit History
In 1963, Crandall reported to Fort Benning, Georgia, to help lead a new air cavalry unit. He was the liaison for the 18th Airborne Corps in the Dominican Republic Expeditionary Force in early 1965 before he left to be a commanding officer on his first deployment to Vietnam. Once arriving in-country, then-Maj. Crandall took charge of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, the first major division operation of airmobile troops. He was well-respected by his soldiers, who gave him the nickname "Old Snake" — derived from his call sign, which was Ancient Serpent 6.
Crandall commanded 16 helicopter crews of the 1st Cavalry Division's Company A, 229th AHB that lifted troops on a search-and-destroy mission from Plei Me to Landing Zone X-Ray in what would become the most vicious fight of the Vietnam War to that date. Then-Lt. Col. Harold G. Moore, commander of the 1st Cav. Div.'s 1st Bn., 7th Cav. Regiment depended on then-Maj. Crandall's helicopters to insert his Soldiers of the 1st Bn. into the LZ.
On Nov. 14, 1965, Crandall's flight of 16 helicopters took troops on a search-and-destroy mission from an area called Plei Me to Landing Zone X-Ray, a remote spot in the Ia Drang Valley. On his fifth trip into the valley, the enemy had targeted the site. As Crandall and eight other unarmed helicopters landed to drop off troops, they came under such intense enemy fire that the ground commander ordered the other helicopters to abort the mission.
"I had very experienced pilots," said Crandall, who served as a flight mission commander and was an Army engineer. Three of the four company commanders in the 229th [Assault Helicopter Battalion] were engineers. We were bush pilots, who had flown in areas of the world that hadn't yet been mapped."
PHOTO: Bruce Crandall leading a formation of UH-1 helicopters from Alpha Company, 229th Aviation Regiment just prior to takeoff in Vietnam. 1966. Courtesy of Department of Defense.
On the fifth and final troop lift, which involved eight helicopters, the LZ was under horrific enemy fire by small arms, automatic weapons, mortars and rockets. As Crandall's helicopter landed and Soldiers exited, three Soldiers were wounded and three killed. Remaining helicopters waiting to land were ordered to abort and return to base.
When Crandall returned to the base, he learned that all medevac assistance had been cut off to the men of the 1/7 Cav. "due to the policy of the time," Crandall said. "The medevac pilots were all great pilots, but they weren't allowed to land on a landing zone until it was 'green' for a period of five minutes," meaning it wasn't being relentlessly attacked. Crandall made the decision — without anyone requesting that he do so — to fly the medevac missions. When he asked for volunteers, his former colleague, now retired Maj. Ed Freeman — who had been his friend for 10 years before they deployed together to Vietnam — immediately stepped forward.
Crandall realized that the men who were now surrounded at Landing Zone X-Ray desperately needed more ammunition than they had. So he took it upon himself to help — he adjusted his base of operations to Artillery Firebase Falcon, which was closer to the besieged site. Then he gathered volunteers to help him deliver ammunition to the trapped soldiers and evacuate the wounded. It wasn't his mission, but he couldn't stand by while the men on the ground were suffering.
Crandall's helicopter led the two, and he supervised the loading of seriously wounded Soldiers over the course of 14 landings under intense enemy fire. He and Freeman saved the lives of some 70 wounded Soldiers. "One of the principal reasons my company survived one of the largest and fiercest battles of the Vietnam War was the critical support provided by the aviators of Co. A, 229th Avn. Bn.," said retired Col. John D. Herren, who commanded the 1st Bn.'s Co. B during the battle.
Despite the heavy enemy fire, Crandall and another helicopter piloted by Maj. Ed Freeman, flew back to Landing Zone X-Ray, delivered much-needed ammunition and began loading their choppers with seriously wounded soldiers. Crandall did that flight 21 more times throughout the rest of the day and into the evening, only stopping once. He knew that he had done all he could for the battalion on the ground.
Crandall's decision also offered a necessary morale boost at a pivotal time. The pilots around him saw what he was doing and were inspired to land their own aircraft to help. Conversely, the Soldiers on the ground realized they weren't alone in the fight — they had more supplies coming and a team to evacuate their wounded. Crandall and Freeman were credited with evacuating about 70 wounded Soldiers that day. Both men earned Distinguished Service Crosses for their actions.
"It demonstrated to me and other Soldiers that our casualties were going to be taken care of and that they would not have to wait for a break in the fighting to be evacuated," Herren added. "The sheer volume of casualties was heavy. My own company suffered 46 casualties out of a company strength of 122 during the first two days of the fighting." Additionally, one of Herren's platoons was cut off for 24 hours and suffered 20 casualties. Every one of the 12 who were wounded survived because Crandall and Freeman evacuated them.
On The Ground
"The first afternoon of the three-day battle was a running firefight — a run for survival — with helicopters coming in under fire trying to get the wounded out. There was a hell of a fight the next morning and night, and I realized we were in an historic battle," Moore said. The first man on the ground with his troops, Moore jumped out of the chopper and looked up at the mountain and knew the enemy was there, he said. "It was ominously quiet."
He learned later that three battalions of fresh North Vietnamese Army troops had come down the Ho Chi Minh Trail and were waiting. "When the fight began, it was furious. The NVA troops came out intent on killing us all," Moore said. About 50 percent of his men were killed or seriously wounded. The men were some 20 miles in the middle of enemy territory, surrounded by a force seven times larger than their own.
The three-day battle, Nov. 14 to 16, left 79 infantrymen and one Air Force pilot dead and another 130 men wounded, some of them horribly, Galloway said. It happened in a space no bigger than a football field. It was followed a day later, 14 miles away, by the battle at LZ Albany, during which 154 American troops were killed in an ambush. The two battles were part of the 34-day Pleiku Campaign, which lasted from Oct. 23 to Nov. 26, 1965. Counting the skirmishes before and after the two major battles, 305 Americans died - more than in the entire first Gulf War, Galloway said.
According to the Medal of Honor citation: "Major Crandall's bravery and daring courage to land under the most extreme hostile fire instilled ...in the ground forces, the realization that friendly wounded would be promptly evacuated. This greatly enhanced morale and the will to fight at a critical time." The citation further reads: "He completed fourteen landings on medical and re-supply missions under intense enemy fire and retired from the battlefield only after all possible service had been rendered to the infantry troops."
Of 31 helicopter loads of ammunition and supplies brought into the LZ after it was closed, Crandall's helicopter flight brought in 28. And of the approximately 78 wounded in action who were evacuated, Crandall's flight took out 70. Crandall's courage is depicted in the movie "We Were Soldiers," adapted from the book "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young," by Moore and Joe Galloway, a United Press International war correspondent who experienced the battle at LZ X-Ray with Moore's men.
"I still think about Vietnam a lot," said Crandall in an 2007 interview by Heike Hasenauer for Soldiers Magazine. "I have wonderful memories of the people I served with." Despite the horrors of war that he experienced — and the many times his life was on the line — "I don't really have bad memories,"
“ These helicopter crews were our lifeline, as they brought battalion units into the LZ. They evacuated our wounded and brought in water and ammunition, despite intense enemy fire. I was an eyewitness to one of Crandall's flights. I was pinned down by intense enemy machine-gun and rifle fire that killed my radio operator and severely wounded the Co. D. commander, Capt. Ray Lefebvre. Crandall's helicopter landed and evacuated Lefebvre and others. The act of bravery was extraordinary and inspirational. ”
Retired Col. John D. Herren,
Then-commander, Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry
Division
The Ceremony
In 2006, President George W. Bush announced that he would award the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest honor for military service, to retired then-Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall at the White House for his actions on Nov. 14, 1965 in Vietnam's Ia Drang Valley. Then-Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall received the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony February 26, 2007.
“ He flew back into X-Ray again and again. Fourteen times he flew into what they called the Valley of Death. He made those flights knowing that he faced what was later described as an "almost unbelievably extreme risk to his life." Over the course of the day, Major Crandall had to fly three different choppers. Two were damaged so badly they could not stay in the air. Yet he kept flying until every wounded man had been evacuated and every need of the battalion had been met. ”
President George W. Bush,
White House Ceremony, February 26, 2007
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The 1st Cavalry Division
The 1st Cavalry Division shoulder sleeve insignia. The traditional Cavalry color of yellow and the horse's head is symbolic of the original organizational structure of the Cavalry. The color black is symbolic of iron, alluding to the organizational transition from mounted horses to tanks and heavy armor.
The history of the 1st Cavalry Division is a colorful tale of Troopers on horseback in the desert areas around Fort Bliss, Texas; fighting in World War II; occupation duty in Japan; combat in the Korean War; service in Hokkaido; patrols along the Korean DMZ; Airmobile warfare in Vietnam; the Cold War with service at Fort Hood; desert fighting in the Gulf War; peacekeeping in Bosnia; and fighting the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. This page will provide you with a brief history of the First Team and links to other web pages and historical documents that honor the First Team!
The 1st Cavalry Division was formally activated on 13 September 1921 at Fort Bliss, Texas. Our early duties in West Texas included rough-riding and patrolling the Mexican border. Technological progress of the 1940's diminished the usefulness of horse-mounted Soldiers, and the division turned in its horses and prepared to serve as dismounted cavalry in World War II's Pacific Theater.
In February 1943, the 1st Cavalry Division was alerted for overseas assignment and closed at Strathpine in Queensland, Australia on 26 July to train for jungle and amphibious operations. On 29 February 1944, the 1st Cavalry Division had its first combat as the Troopers stormed the beaches of Los Negros Island fighting a fierce campaign that took some 7,000 Japanese casualties. The division's next action was a few months later on the Philippine Island of Leyte. When the last Japanese stronghold was eliminated, the division moved to Luzon. The 1st Cavalry Division was first into Manila in February 1945 following one of the most important actions of the war which is known as the “Flying Column”. The Division's Troopers entered Manila and freed the internees at Santo Tomas University. Two Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously during World War II. Major General William C. Chase officially took command months later, and his nickname for the division, “First Team”, was well-received and remains today.
In September of 1945, the “First Team” led occupational forces into Japan's capital city, earning the distinction of “First in Tokyo”. The 1st Cavalry Division spent the next five years in Japan on Occupation Duty. First quartered on the Yoyogi Parade Grounds the Division moved to the outskirts of the city and occupied Camp Drake in September 1945. The Division's first mission in Tokyo was to assume control of the central portion of the city. Daily patrols began the long task of locating, investigating, and reporting all Japanese installations which had contributed to the nation's war effort. All arsenals, factories, barracks, and storage grounds had to be examined and reports made of their contents. In addition, the Division was concerned with the status of demobilization of the Japanese armed forces. The 1st Cavalry Division's occupation jurisdiction extended over 5,000 square miles. The years 1946 to 1950 saw further easing of tensions between Japanese and Americans. Whenever floods or earthquakes hit the Japanese mainland, the Cavalrymen joined the rescue efforts. Once every few weeks, the Division staged colorful parades in the Imperial Plaza in the heart of Tokyo. Division Troopers contributed time, money and their talents to a number of Japanese orphanages and other social relief agencies. In June 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea and despite woeful manning and equipment shortages, the First Team prepared for their next combat.
The 1st Cavalry Division stormed ashore at Pohang Dong, South Korea, in the Korean War's first amphibious landing. By July 1950, the division began offensive operations to the north and crossed the 38th parallel on October 9th. Closing on North Korea's capital ten days later, the “First Team” was “First in Pyongyang”. With the war almost won and US forces just south of the Chinese border the Chinese Communist Forces entered the war and the onslaught of numerically superior forces overran and encircled the 8th Cavalry Regiment at Unsan. United Nation's forces began a withdrawal and were pushed past the 38th Parallel and below Seoul. The UN forces counter attacked and the 1st Cavalry Division again crossed the 38th parallel as fighting settled along that area. After 549 days of continuous combat, the division began planning to return to Japan. The division established a defensive military presence in the northern island of Hokkaido. Several units of the division returned to serve in Korea. During the Korean War eleven Troopers of the First Team were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions.
At the end of the Korean War the division remained on duty in Japan until its move back to the Korean Peninsula and duty along the Demilitarized Zone in 1957. The division spent the majority of its time in the field operations patrolling the southern border of the DMZ and adjacent areas in observation and listening posts that were manned 24 hours a day until departing for Fort Benning, Georgia in July 1965.
Reorganized and equipped as an airmobile division the “First Team” was quickly shipped to Vietnam becoming the first fully committed division in country. The division became the first division to earn the Presidential Unit Citation during the thirty-five day Pleiku Campaign. Airmobile tactics permitted fast movement on the battlefield as the “Sky Troopers” of the 1st Cavalry Division rode their helicopters into numerous battles. The enemy launched the famous Tet Offensive in late January 1968. Already on the move, the “First Team” rushed north, liberating cities and boldly repelling the enemy offensive. The division's “Sky Troopers” flew in to relieve the besieged Marine base at Khe Sahn and the division was first into Cambodia in May 1970. The first full division into Vietnam was the last full division to leave Vietnam. Thirty Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division were awarded the Medal of Honor for their valor during the Vietnam War. Redeployment to Fort Hood, Texas began in 1971 where the “First Team” reorganized into a “Triple Capability” or “Tricap” Division, incorporating an armor brigade, an air mobility brigade, and an air cavalry brigade. While the Division colors left Vietnam in 1971, the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (Separate) remained in Vietnam until June 1972.
In the following years the First Team fought the “Cold War” as they trained and readied for combat in any area of the world. Training at Fort Hood, deploying to Germany as part of Return of Forces to Germany (REFORGER), and fighting the Opposing Force at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California became the routine of America's only Cavalry Division.
In August 1990, the 1st Cavalry Division was alerted for deployment o Southwest Asia as part of the joint forces participating in Operation Desert Shield. The focus at that time was the defense of Saudi Arabia against a potential Iraqi attack.
In January 1991, the division was attached to VII (US) Corps and the focus of the First Team clearly began to shift toward offensive action. The division moved nearly 500 kilometers to another assembly area near King Khalid Military city (KKMC) in Northern Saudi Arabia. This put the division in a key strategic location covering the historic Wadi al Batin approach into Saudi Arabia. The stay near KKMC was short and the division jumped north toward the juncture of the Saudi, Iraq, and Kuwait borders beginning a calculated war of deception along the Saudi border.
The deception caused Iraq to focus their forces along the Wadi and on 20 February, prior to the main attack by coalition forces the First Team's 2nd Brigade mounted the first major mounted ground attack 10 miles into Iraq ensuring that the Iraqi Army thought the main attack was to be through the Wadi al Batin.
On February 26, the commander of the Allied forces, General Norman Schwartzkopf directed, “send in the First Team. Destroy the Republican Guard. Let's go home.” The entire division, minus the 2nd Armored Division's “Tiger” Brigade who was with the Marines moving into Kuwait, pausing only to refuel before passing through the breeches continued north, then east, moving in a vast armada of armor and went 300 kilometers in 24 hours, slicing deep into the enemy's rear.
In 1998, the 1st Cavalry Division assumed the mission of Task Force Eagle, conducting peace support operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Following four months of highly successful and intensive planning, training, and maintaining, America's “First Team” assumed the mission of ensuring peace and stability throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina for over a year, transferring authority to the 10th Mountain Division in August 1999.
In early 2003, select divisional units were designated to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom through the initial phase of combat culminating in the liberation of the Iraqi people from the tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein. In the fall of 2003, the division as a whole was ordered to prepare for deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Assuming control of Task Force Baghdad in April of 2004 the division engaged the enemy across multiple lines of operation, helping the Iraqi people forge a new, democratic government – the first in the nation's history. Two major events occurred during the division's year in the Iraqi capital: first, the coalition returned sovereignty to the people of Iraq in June 2004; and second, the national elections of January 2005 demonstrated the resolve of the Iraqi people to gain control of their country. The division transferred authority to the 3rd Infantry Division in February 2005 and completed their return to Fort Hood on April 2nd.
After returning from Iraq in 2005, the Division underwent a transformation to the Army's new modular design becoming a combined arms division. Many of our units were inactivated or redesignated as the Division reorganized into a more deployable and lethal configuration. Adding a fourth maneuver brigade that was temporarily located at Fort Bliss, Texas the Division began a training program to prepare for a return to Iraq in 2006.
On 15 November, 2006 the 1st Cavalry Division assumed control of Baghdad for the second time and leadership of Multi-National Division Baghdad. Two of our brigades, the 3rd and 4th Brigade Combat Teams, were attached to the 25th Infantry Division working in a different area of Iraq while the ranks of the First Team were expanded by the attachment of brigades from divisions across the Army. The surge in Iraq brought the assigned and attached strength of the First Team and MND-Baghdad to over 100,000 Soldiers.
Returning to Fort Hood in late 2007 the division relocated the 4th Brigade Combat Team from Fort Bliss to Fort Hood and saw the departure of the 15th Sustainment Brigade from division control in 2008. The 4th BCT again deployed to Iraq leaving the rest of the division to train and prepare for a third deployment in 2009.
In late 2008, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq followed by the 2nd BCT, 1st BCT and the Division Headquarters in early 2009. The First Team once again accepted the control on MND-Baghdad from the 4th Infantry Division on 10 February, 2009. Only the 1st BCT remained assigned to the Division with the other three Heavy Brigade Combat Teams being attached to other divisions in Iraq. The 1st Air Cavalry Brigade deployed to Iraq in the spring of 2009 for a one-year deployment and was the last 1st Cavalry Division unit to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 4th BCT was one of the first units to deploy for Operation New Dawn with the mission to train and assist Iraqi Security Forces in September, 2010 followed by 2nd Brigade who deployed in 2011, helping to advise, train, assist and equip Iraqi forces while simultaneously transitioning more than a half-dozen bases back to Iraqi control. The other brigades followed on to Iraq for Operation New Dawn and the movement out of Iraq and into Kuwait. On the morning of 18 December 2011, after almost nine years, the 3rd Special Troops Battalion of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Grey Wolf) was the last unit to leave Iraq. The units of the First Team had completed a flawless movement involving multiple passages of lines conducted without incident. After leaving Iraq, the 1st Brigade Combat Team remained in Kuwait for several months as a contingency force for the CENTCOM area.
On 19 May 2011, in continuing to expand its role in the mid-eastern theater of operations, the 1st Cavalry Division unfurled the unit's new colors in a transfer of authority ceremony with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. During a pivotal time in the war on terror and in Afghanistan's history, The command authority of the Regional Command – East (RC-E) shifted from Combined Joint Task Force-101 to CJTF-1. In this new mission of the 1st Cavalry Division took control of over 35,000 Soldiers from eight US, French and Polish task forces and 14 provinces that, combined, provide safety and security in an area populated by approximately 7.5 million Afghans. The Area of Command consists of 43,000 square miles and shares 450 miles of border with Pakistan. The Division's Air Cavalry Brigade also deployed to Afghanistan and conducted operations in almost all areas of Afghanistan for a full year.
In 2014 a portion of the Division Headquarters headed to Afghanistan where it took over the training of Afghan units as the Headquarters for Train, Advise, Assist Command – South. They conducted train, advise, and assist missions so that the Afghan National Security Forces would be sustainable and capable of protecting their population and government into the future. The final Troopers from this deployment returned to Fort Hood in June 2015.
The Division began aligning its brigades in different areas and sending, first 2-12 Cavalry and then 3-8 Cavalry to Korea, which led to the 2nd BCT, 1st Cavalry Division (Black Jack) deployment to Korea in 2015 to replace a brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division which was inactivated. When the 2nd BCT's nine month deployment ended in 2016 they were replaced by the 1st BCT, 1st Cavalry Division (Iron Horse) which ended in October 2016. The 1st BCT had sent units to Europe, similar to the old REFORGER exercises after Russian Troops invaded Ukraine in 2014. 1st Cavalry units trained with old Cold War foes and demonstrated the ability to deploy heavy forces quickly. In the fall of 2015, the 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation deployed to support operations in Europe.
Reorganization in the Division continued with the return of the Division Artillery (Red Team) and the activation and assignment of the 1st Sustainment Brigade (Wagon Masters) which carries the lineage and history of the Division Support Command. Both DIVARTY and DISCOM had been inactivated in 2005.
The 1st Cavalry Division along with the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade cased their colors on 25 August 2016 in preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel, marking the Division Headquarters return to Afghanistan for the third time. The 1st Cavalry Division uncased their colors in Bagram on 13 September 2016, 95 years after the Division was formed at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1921.
In October 2019, the 2nd Brigade deployed in support of Atlantic Resolve as part of the regionally aligned forces in Europe. The brigade operated in seven different countries including Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, and Georgia and conducted multiple international training events along side allied partners to ensure stability and deter aggression.
With the Army's finest Soldiers and best equipment, the hard-riding spirit of the United States Cavalry is alive and well in the 1st Cavalry Division. Our more than 24,000 Soldiers combine the spirit of the Cav's heritage with challenges facing an alert, combat-ready division. The “First Team” remains ready to fight anywhere, anytime, and win.
- 1st Calvary Division
- Fort Bliss
- General Creighton Abrams
- General Norman Schwarzkopf
- Operation Desert Storm
For more information about the Vietnam War:
Please visit the 50th Commemoration Website
Official Citation
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to
Colonel Bruce P. Crandall
United States Army
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
Major Bruce P. Crandall distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism as a Flight Commander in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company A, 229th 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 la Drang Valley. On the fourth troop lift, the airlift began to take enemy fire, and by the time the aircraft had refueled and returned for the next 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 batallion 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 his 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 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.
U.S. Army Major Bruce P. Crandall sits with his wife, Arlene, before the Medal of Honor flag in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Feb. 26, 2007, shotly before Crandall being awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism as helicopter flight commander in the Vietnam War. White House photo by Eric Draper.
Battlescape
LZ X-Ray Overview
Content courtesy of LZXRAY.com
The 1st Cavalry Division shipped out of Ft. Benning, Georgia and closed into its Base Camp at An Khe in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam in late September 1965.
A Vietnamese military maxim states:"He who controls the Central Highlands controls South Vietnam". In late October 1965, a large North Vietnamese force attacked the Plei Me Special Forces Camp. Troops of the 1st Brigade were sent into the battle. After the enemy was repulsed, the 3rd Brigade replaced the 1st Brigade in early November. After three days of patrolling without any contact, Hal Moore's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry was ordered to air assault into the Ia Drang Valley on Nov 14. His mission:
Find and kill the enemy
At 10:48 AM, Moore was the first man out of the lead chopper to hit the landing zone, firing his M16 rifle. Little did Moore and his men suspect that fate had sent them into the first major battle of the Vietnam War between the American Army and the People's Army of Vietnam - Regulars - and into history.
Day One
November 14, 1965
Lead elements of the under strength 450-man 1st Bn., 7th Cavalry air assault into a small clearing in scrub jungle below the 2,300-foot Chu Pong Massif mountain. Within an hour, a fierce battle is underway between the American air cav troopers and the aggressive 9th Bn. of the 66th Regiment of the Peoples Army of Vietnam - North Vietnamese Regulars. The American commander, Lt. Col. Moore, fighting on the ground with his men, is faced with three on-going tasks to be accomplished simultaneously:
- Shuttle in the rest of his men from 14 miles to the rear on 16 Huey helicopters
- Holding onto the clearing so that the Hueys can land and take off
- Carry the fight to the numerically superior force as far into the jungle as possible so as to control the edges of the clearing
It is quickly apparent that the enemy force is determined to overrun and kill every American on the field. The afternoon is consumed in a desperate fire-storm battle for survival in 100 degree heat for Moore and his men as the PAVN commander throws the 7th Bn. of the 66th and a composite battalion of the 33rd Regt. in a furious attack against the 7th Cavalry left flank and center. In the action, a 29 man cavalry platoon is surrounded by 200 enemy combatants. Employing massive air and artillery fire support, the disciplined cavalrymen hold onto the landing zone clearing against 7-1 odds and cause the PAVN units to fall back and break contact by late afternoon. During the action, brave Huey pilots land their choppers under fire during the action to bring in ammo and water and carry out wounded. A reinforcing cavalry company flies in just before dark.
During the fighting that day, the 1st Bn, 7th Cavalry is reduced to approximately 340 officers and men; none missing. PAVN casualties are much higher due to awesome American fire support; six enemy are captured and evacuated.
Day Two
November 15, 1965
Before dawn, Moore orders his company commanders to meet him prior to an attack to rescue the still cut-off platoon. Before this meeting takes place, the PAVN launch a heavy attack which shatters the early-morning stillness like a huge explosion.
C Company of the 1st Battalion bears the brunt of the assault and is soon involved in hand to hand combat. The right portion of D/1/7 is also struck. The code word "Broken Arrow" is sent out over the radio by the battalion forward air controller. Within minutes, all available fighter bombers in South Vietnam are headed for X-Ray to render close air support to "an American unit in grave danger of being overrun". A three-hour battle that features non-stop 105mm artillery (8" artillery also participated), aerial rockets and determined American infantrymen, results in Charlie Company holding it's ground in a stunning display of personal courage and unit discipline. But it pays a terrible price — no officers left and only 49 men unhurt. 42 officers and men killed; 20 wounded. Scores of slain North Vietnamese and their weapons litter the bloody battleground.
At noon, the 2nd Bn., 5th Cavalry marches into X-Ray from a landing zone 2 miles east. Joining with the 7th Cavalry parent company of the cut-off platoon, it continues out unopposed, rescues it, and brings it back with all wounded and dead. Of the 29-man platoon, 9 killed and 13 wounded. When reached, the platoon, which had lost its platoon leader, platoon sergeant and one squad leader killed, had ammo left to fight with under the leadership of a three stripe "buck sergeant" squad leader — Sgt. Savage.
C Co. 1/7 Cav. survivors are replaced on line by the fresh B Co, 2nd Bn., 7th Cavalry. The battalion now forms a strong perimeter and prepares for more action in the night. All American dead and wounded are evacuated.
Day Three
November 16, 1965
The PAVN Commander knows that he had severely weakened and damaged the defenders in the C Co. sector the previous morning. What he does not know is that a fresh company — B Co., 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., had taken over the position after that engagement. That company, unattacked the previous afternoon, had cut fields of fire, dug new foxholes, fired in artillery concentrations, carefully emplaced it's machine guns and piled up ammunition.
The PAVN assaults four separate times beginning at 4:22 a.m. The last is at 6:27 a.m. They are stopped cold, losing over 200 dead. B Co. has 6 wounded. At 9:55 a.m., a sweep outward is made which results in more enemy dead and the position secured.
At 10:40 a.m., the 1st Bn., 7th Cavalry, having lost 79 men killed and 121 wounded is ordered back to the rear for reorganization. By 3:00 p.m., 1/7 Cav. had turned over X-Ray to the 2nd Bn., 5th Cav. and the 2nd Bn., 7th Cav. and is flying back to the Camp Holloway airfield at Pleiku City.
At the conclusion of X-Ray, the sister battalion of 1/7 Cav., 2/7 Cav., was ordered to march to Landing Zone Albany for extraction from the battle area and to get out of the beaten area for an impending B52 strike. The fight of 2/7 Cav. at Albany is the next chapter of the Ia Drang Campaign.
President's Remarks
2:30 P.M. EDT, February 26, 2007
THE PRESIDENT: Welcome. I am pleased that you all are here on a very special day. Presenting the Medal of Honor is one of the great privileges for the President. The medal is the highest military decoration a President can confer. This medal is awarded for actions above and beyond the call of duty.
Today I am proud to bestow this medal on a daring pilot, a devoted soldier and a selfless leader, Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Crandall. I welcome Bruce and his wife, Arlene, back to the White House. I congratulate you on 50 years of marriage. She must be a patient woman. (Laughter.) I also am glad that their three sons and three of their grandchildren are here. Welcome. I'm especially pleased that some of Bruce's comrades have joined us.
As an officer, Bruce always put his men before himself. Today, his men are here for him. And this afternoon, 41 years after his heroic actions in Vietnam, America recognizes Bruce Crandall with our highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.
I appreciate Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates, joining us today. Mr. Secretary, you're always welcome here at the White House. I appreciate the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Jim Nicholson, welcome. I appreciate members of the United States Congress who have joined us, starting with the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Ted Stevens, the Senator from Alaska. Congressman Norm Dicks, who happens to be the U.S. Congressman from Colonel Crandall's district. Congressman, welcome. Congressman Jim Marshall, Congressman Patrick Murphy, we are glad you're here. Thank you for coming.
I appreciate very much Dr. Fran Harvey, Secretary of the Army; General Pete Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; General Pete Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
I thank all the other members of the military who joined us. I particularly want to say thanks and welcome to the Medal of Honor recipients who are with us today: Harvey "Barney" Barnum, Bob Foley, Jack Jacobs, Joe Marm, Bob Patterson, Al Rascon, Gordon Roberts and Brian Thacker. Welcome.
I appreciate the family, friends and comrades of Bruce Crandall. David Hicks, thank you for your blessings.
The journey that brought Bruce Crandall to this day began 74 years ago in Olympia, Washington. Growing up, Bruce was a gifted athlete and a bit of a handful. (Laughter.) A teacher once observed that he had "a unique ability to get into trouble and out of trouble without any trouble at all." (Laughter.) At Olympia High School, Bruce was named an All American in baseball. He batted .612 for the league champs -- I think we better check the scorecards. (Laughter.) His dream was to be drafted by the New York Yankees. Instead he got drafted by the U.S. Army. (Laughter.)
He was commissioned as an officer, trained as an aviator. His early career took him on mapping missions over Alaska, and North Africa, and Latin America. In 1963, he reported to Fort Benning to help lead a new unit that would become known as the air cavalry. Two years later, he arrived in Vietnam as a major, and as a commanding officer in the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion.
As a leader, Major Crandall earned the respect of his men with his honesty and his humor. He earned their admiration with his remarkable control over a Huey. His radio call sign was "Ancient Serpent 6," which his men shortened to "Old Snake." (Laughter.) Or sometimes, they used a more colorful nickname -- (laughter) -- which we better not pronounce. (Laughter.)
On the morning of November 14, 1965, Major Crandall's unit was transporting a battalion of soldiers to a remote spot in the la Drang Valley, to a landing zone called X-Ray. After several routine lifts into the area, the men on the ground came under a massive attack from the North Vietnamese army. On Major Crandall's next flight, three soldiers on his helicopter were killed, three more were wounded. But instead of lifting off to safety, Major Crandall kept his chopper on the ground -- in the direct line of enemy fire -- so that four wounded soldiers could be loaded aboard.
Major Crandall flew the men back to base, where the injuries could be treated. At that point, he had fulfilled his mission. But he knew that soldiers on the ground were outnumbered and low on ammunition. So Major Crandall decided to fly back into X-Ray. He asked for a volunteer to join him. Captain Ed Freeman stepped forward. In their unarmed choppers, they flew through a cloud of smoke and a wave of bullets. They delivered desperately needed supplies. They carried out more of the wounded, even though medical evacuation was really not their mission.
If Major Crandall had stopped here he would have been a hero. But he didn't stop. He flew back into X-Ray again and again. Fourteen times he flew into what they called the Valley of Death. He made those flights knowing that he faced what was later described as an "almost unbelievably extreme risk to his life." Over the course of the day, Major Crandall had to fly three different choppers. Two were damaged so badly they could not stay in the air. Yet he kept flying until every wounded man had been evacuated and every need of the battalion had been met.
When they touched down on their last flight, Major Crandall and Captain Freeman had spent more than 14 hours in the air. They had evacuated some 70 wounded men. They had provided a lifeline that allowed the battalion to survive the day.
To the men of la Drang, the image of Major Crandall's helicopter coming to their rescue is one they will never forget. One officer who witnessed the battle wrote, "Major Crandall's actions were without question the most valorous I've observed of any helicopter pilot in Vietnam." The battalion commander said, "Without Crandall, this battalion would almost have surely been overrun." Another officer said, "I will always be in awe of Major Bruce Crandall."
For his part, Bruce has never seen it that way. Here's what he said: "There was never a consideration that we would not go into those landing zones. They were my people down there, and they trusted in me to come and get them."
As the years have passed, Bruce Crandall's character and leadership have only grown clearer. He went on to make more rescue flights in Vietnam. He served a second tour, and he retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel. As a private citizen, he's continued to serve. He's worked in local government, and he speaks to students all across our country. One of his favorite stops is Midland, Texas. (Laughter.) It happens [to be] where Laura and I grew up. In fact, he's been to Midland so many times they gave him the key of the city. It's not exactly the Medal of Honor. (Laughter.) It's not a bad thing to have. (Laughter.) Maybe one day I'll get a key to the city. (Laughter.)
A few years ago, Bruce learned he was being considered for our nation's highest military distinction. When he found out that Captain Freeman had also been nominated, Bruce insisted that his own name be withdrawn. If only one of them were to receive the Medal of Honor, he wanted it to be his wingman. So when I presented the Medal to Captain Freeman in 2001, Bruce was here in the White House. Captain Freeman wished he were here today, but he got snowed in, in Iowa. His spirit is with us. Today the story comes to its rightful conclusion: Bruce Crandall receives the honor he always deserved.
In men like Bruce Crandall, we really see the best of America. He and his fellow soldiers were brave, brave folks. They were as noble and selfless as any who have ever worn our nation's uniform. And on this day of pride, we remember their comrades who gave their lives and those who are still missing. We remember the terrible telegrams that arrived at Fort Benning, the families devastated, the children who traced their father's name on panel three-east of the Vietnam Memorial wall.
Our sadness has not diminished with time. Yet we're also comforted by the knowledge that the suffering and grief could have been far worse. One of the reasons it was not is because of the man we honor today. For the soldiers rescued, for the men who came home, for the children they had and the lives they made, America is in debt to Bruce Crandall. It's a debt our nation can never really fully repay, but today we recognize it as best as we're able, and we bestow upon this good and gallant man the Medal of Honor.
Commander, please read the citation.
(The citation is read and the medal is presented.) (Applause.)
END 2:44 P.M. EST