William J. Crawford’s Bastogne Valor and Medal of Honor

Dec 20 , 2025

William J. Crawford’s Bastogne Valor and Medal of Honor

Blood dripped and soaked my hands. The enemy pressed hard—too close to pull back. Still, I stayed with the wounded, firing rounds with one hand, holding the line with bone and grit. William J. Crawford was not a man born under fortune’s smile. He carved his legacy with blood and iron.

The Roots of a Soldier’s Soul

William J. Crawford’s story begins in the dust and grit of Decatur, Texas, 1918. Raised in a plainspoken household, faith wrapped around him like a worn blanket. His mother handed down prayers steeped in scripture; his father, a man of hard work and quiet pride. The Great Depression gnawed at their backs, but a code held steady beneath the hardship: stand firm, protect your own, and never leave a brother behind.

“I never wore my uniform lightly,” Crawford said years later. His belief wasn’t just in the Good Book—it was in honor, in duty, in the quiet strength that comes when everything is lost except resolve.

Bastogne’s Inferno: The Battle That Branded Him

December 1944. The cold bit like a savage beast at Bastogne, Belgium. William J. Crawford, Private First Class, was a mortar squad man in the famed 45th Infantry Division—the “Thunderbirds.” The Germans launched a desperate counterattack, hellbent on breaking the Allied lines. Chaos engulfed the forest.

Amid the roar, Crawford’s unit found themselves overrun. Mortar tubes silenced; ammunition dwindling. Wounded soldiers cried out across the snow. But this was no time for despair. With his own torso pierced, blood pouring freely, Crawford refused to quit.

He climbed atop a burning armored vehicle, exposed to relentless fire, and directed mortar barrages that stalled the enemy advance. Twice, he crawled half-frozen through mud and snow, dragging comrades to safety. His hands shredded. His jaw fractured. Still, he pressed on until help arrived.

Pain and fear were luxuries left for after the fight.

Medal of Honor: Words That Could Not Match Blood

For his extraordinary heroism, Crawford earned the Medal of Honor on December 16, 1945. His citation reads:

"Pfc. Crawford distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. ... he directed mortar fire under intense enemy fire, refusing to be evacuated despite his wounds. His actions were crucial in breaking the enemy assault."¹

His commanding officers spoke with reverence.

Colonel Paul L. Freeman Jr. said, “Crawford’s sheer will and refusal to surrender saved countless lives.”

His own modesty was legendary. “I did what any man would do for his brother standing next to him.” But it was not any man. It was a man baptized in courage, baptized in sacrifice.

The Legacy of Scars and Salvation

William J. Crawford left the battlefield with scars deep into his flesh—and deeper into his spirit. Yet those wounds forged a path not just through war, but toward peace.

“God was my shield and my strength,” he said later in life. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” —Psalm 34:18

His story did not end in medals or parades. It whispered through the generations of soldiers who remembered that bravery doesn’t roar—it holds steady when silence grips the dying cold.

His fight was not to glorify combat, but to honor the brotherhood born in blood and resilience. A legacy reminding us all: the cost of freedom is paid in unwavering sacrifice, faith, and hope.

William J. Crawford’s name is etched into history—not just by honor, but by the raw, unyielding truth of men who fight for each other when the world burns.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II - William J. Crawford 2. American Battle Monuments Commission, Bastogne Engagement Records 3. Freeman, Paul L. Jr., War Diaries and Correspondence, 1944 4. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Crawford Citation and Biography