Bruce Perry Crandall

Bruce Perry Crandall (February 17, 1933 – May 31, 2026) was a 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.

Background Crandall was born on February 17, 1933, in Olympia, Washington, where he was also raised. He attended public schools and became an All-American baseball player in high school. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle until being drafted into the United States Army in 1953 during the Korean War.

He married Arlene Shaffer on March 31, 1956, and they had three sons and five grandchildren. Arlene died from cancer on November 2, 2010. Crandall died at his residence in Tempe, Arizona, on May 31, 2026, at the age of 93.

Military career Crandall graduated from Engineer Officer Candidate School, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 1954. He was sent to fixed-wing and helicopter training conducted by the air force and army, then he was assigned to an Army Aviation mapping group headquartered at the Presidio of San Francisco. It was then "the largest flying military aviation unit in the world".

Crandall and Freeman were also credited with flying in the ammunition needed for the 7th Cavalry to survive. The craft that he was flying was unarmed. but this was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, awarded by President George W. Bush in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on February 26, 2007.

Operation Masher Crandall had just finished a full day supporting the 12th Infantry Battalion on January 31, 1966, during the first combined American and Army of the Republic of Vietnam operation called "Operation Masher". He returned to refuel and shut down for the night when he learned that a company was in heavy enemy contact and had 12 wounded soldiers who needed evacuation. The soldiers were pinned down in a tight perimeter. The unit was led by Captain Tony Nadal, his friend and fellow veteran of the Battle of la Drang.

He died in his sleep at his residence in Tempe, Arizona on May 31, 2026.

Awards and decorations Crandall received the following military decorations:

Other honors Crandall was inducted into the United States Air Force's "Gathering of Eagles" in 1994, one of only seven Army aviators so honored, and the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 2004.

For his courage during Operation Masher, Crandall received the Aviation & Space Writers Helicopter Heroism Award for 1966.

On April 15, 2011, Crandall was inducted as an honorary member of 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment. Col. Crandall signed the Squadron rolls during a Squadron Ball where he helped induct officers and NCO's into the Order of St. Michael and received a 1st Sqdn., 6th Cav. Regt. belt buckle. 1–6 CAV recently returned from a successful deployment to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Crandall's exploits (along with those of many others) at the Battle of Ia Drang, are depicted in the 1992 book We Were Soldiers Once...And Young (by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway), and in the related 2002 movie, We Were Soldiers, where he is portrayed by Greg Kinnear. Crandall served as an aviation consultant during filming in 2001.

University of Washington Medal of Honor Memorial

The University of Washington Medal of Honor memorial was constructed at the south end of Memorial Way (17th Ave NE), north of Red Square, in the interior of a traffic circle between Parrington and Kane Halls . It was privately funded and was completed in time for a Veterans Day dedication in November 2009. It honors alumni Greg Boyington, Deming Bronson, Bruce Crandall, Robert E. Galer, John D. Hawk, Robert Leisy, William Kenzo Nakamura, and Archie Van Winkle.