[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 9 (Monday, March 5, 2007)]
[Pages 213-215]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Presenting the Congressional Medal of Honor to Bruce P. 
Crandall

February 26, 2007

    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 Committee--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, the 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, 
Jake Jacobs--Jack Jacobs, Joe Marm, Bob Patterson, Al Rascon, Gordon 
Roberts, and Brian Thacker. Welcome.
    I appreciate the families, 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, quote, 
``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.

[[Page 214]]

    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 14th, 1965, Major Crandall's unit was 
transporting a battalion of soldiers to a remote spot in the Ia 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 Ia 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--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. But his spirit 
is with us. And today the story comes to its rightful conclusion; Bruce 
Crandall received the honor he always deserved.

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    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 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.

Note: The President spoke at 2:30 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Maj. Gen. David Hicks, USA, Army 
Chief of Chaplains. Following the President's remarks, Lt. Comdr. 
Geoffrey Gagnier, Coast Guard Aide to the President, read the citation.