06/18/2026
We honor and remember the life and legacy of Col. Bruce Crandall, who graciously shared his story with his student interviewer for the 2014 Edition of Since You Asked® X. Col. Bruce Perry Crandall, born 7 Feb. 1933 in Olympia, Washington, to a father serving in the Navy and a mother working as a shipyard welder, attended the University of Washington until drafted into the Army in 1953 during the Korean War. He was commissioned through Engineer OCS at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, then earned both fixed-wing and helicopter pilot qualifications. He spent two years mapping Libyan deserts as an instructor pilot and flew topographic surveys of the Alaskan wilderness. He subsequently did two tours in Vietnam commanding A Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry. During the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang, Bruce and his wingman Major Ed Freeman delivered ammunition and supplies while evacuating at least 70 wounded. President George W. Bush, awarding Bruce the Medal of Honor in 2007, commented, “Fourteen times he flew into what they called the valley of death.”
