Medal of Honor with Ed Tracy April 22, 2008

He is the most recent living recipient of America’s highest award for military valor. In a ceremony at the White House in 2007, more than 41 years after his incredible exploits as a pilot in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam, a legend in Army aviation received the Medal of Honor.

The Pritzker Military Library is proud to welcome Medal of Honor recipient Bruce P. Crandall for an interview with Ed Tracy on Tuesday, April 22nd. This program is free and open to the public. The presentation and live webcast will begin at 6:00 p.m., preceded by a reception for Library members at 5:00 p.m. It will also be recorded for later broadcast on WYCC-TV/Channel 20.

His call sign that day was “Ancient Serpent 6”, but many simply called him “Old Snake”. Maj. Crandall’s mission was to airlift troops into Landing Zone X-Ray, a remote location in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. After his fifth delivery, the landing zone came under intense fire and subsequent air missions were called off. However, the troops already in the landing zone were isolated, running out of time and ammunition, with casualties mounting.

By rule, medevac pilots were not allowed into a landing zone until it had been clear of enemy fire for at least five minutes, but those five minutes would not come. Crandall and another volunteer, Capt. Ed “Too Tall” Freeman, who were not medevac pilots, decided to return. They flew back into the Ia Drang Valley, under relentless fire and extreme danger, to resupply the isolated battalion – making fourteen flights each, until more than 70 wounded soldiers had been airlifted to safety.

These events were chronicled in the book We Were Soldiers Once…and Young, by Joe Galloway and Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, both of whom were on the ground at that landing zone – one a journalist, the other the infantry battalion commander.

Crandall served a second tour of duty and retired in 1977 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Upon learning that he and Freeman were being considered for the Medal of Honor, Crandall asked that his name be withdrawn in order to enhance his wingman’s chances. Freeman received the award in 2001, but the “Old Snake” was not forgotten: he received the Medal of Honor on February 26, 2007.

Now in its fifth year, Medal of Honor with Ed Tracy has featured more than twenty interviews with our nation’s greatest military heroes and their riveting stories of courage under fire. The 2008 season includes an upcoming appearance by Medal recipient Thomas G. Kelley, which will also mark the 200th program at the Pritzker Military Library.

Seating for this event is limited, so reservations are recommended. Call 312.587.0234 or email events@pritzkermilitarylibrary.net.

Official Website: http://www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org/events