William J. Crawford, WWII Medal of Honor hero from Hurtgen Forest

Dec 30 , 2025

William J. Crawford, WWII Medal of Honor hero from Hurtgen Forest

Blood, mud, and shattered bone.

William J. Crawford crawled through the darkness of a shattered French village, his left arm broken, blood oozing down his sleeve, yet still gripping his rifle. The enemy pressed in hard. His squad faltered, but not Crawford. He bore the weight of his brothers-in-arms and the fury of a soldier refusing to die without dragging hell behind him.

This was no glory run.

This was raw survival.

The Roots of a Warrior

William J. Crawford was born in 1918, St. Francis, Kansas—a son of quiet, hard-working folk. Not privileged, but proud. Raised on midwestern values. Faith was the backbone: a simple, steadfast Christianity that shaped his code.

He believed something bigger watched over the battlefield’s chaos. Not miracles to save the faint of heart, but strength to keep moving when flesh failed.

That resilience carried him into the Army, enlisting in 1940, long before Pearl Harbor ignited the global fire. Crawford signed his name on the line, ready to carve a path in history with grit and honor. A man balancing fear and faith with every step.

The Battle That Defined Him

November 1944. Hurtgen Forest.

The woods were a killing ground coated in ice and death. German troops entrenched like shadows that never left.

Crawford’s unit—the 28th Infantry Regiment—was pinned down beneath a pounding artillery barrage. Poor visibility. Frozen earth. Suddenly, a direct attack. Enemy infantry stormed with grenades and gunfire that tore through the trees like thunderclaps.

Crawford was a sentry, first line and last barrier. A bullet ripped through his left arm. Bone shattered. Blood flowed.

Most men would fall back.

Not Crawford.

He still stood his ground, firing single-handedly, suppressing the enemy advance, buying time for reinforcements. He dragged himself forward, a broken soldier weaponizing pain.

His citation states:

“Though wounded, he remained in position and continued to fire on the enemy, giving vital time for his company to organize a successful defense.”

Hours passed like lifetimes. Despite severe wounds, he refused evacuation. He knew the cost if the line broke.

He saved that line.

A platoon leader later said,

“Crawford never quit. In the cold hell of Hurtgen, he was steel forged in blood.”

Honoring Valor With the Medal of Honor

For his actions, William J. Crawford was awarded the Medal of Honor on August 23, 1945.

The citation does not remove the grime or the agony of that frozen hell, but it enshrines what it means to fight beyond yourself.

President Truman spoke at the ceremony, acknowledging the countless sacrifices soldiers like Crawford bore:

"The Medal of Honor is awarded for gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. There is no prize more precious."

Crawford’s Medal of Honor is not just a medal — it is a testament etched in pain and defiance.

The Lasting Legacy

William J. Crawford’s story is not folklore. It is a mirror reflecting the raw truth of combat: fear, sacrifice, and courage bleeding in the mud.

From Kansas farms to frozen forests, he fought not for medals but because there was no other choice.

His legacy lives in the reminder that scars—visible and invisible—are the cost of freedom.

He once said,

“You don’t fight for medals. You fight for the men next to you. And you never leave a brother behind.”

That is a code worth more than any ribbon.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

The battlefield changes, but the spirit endures.

William J. Crawford’s story is a call across generations—to hold the line when everything breaks, to stand wounded but unbowed, to carry the fight forward with purpose beyond pain.

And perhaps, in those frozen woods of Hurtgen, God’s grace was the quiet fire in Crawford’s heart that refused to die.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, “Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II, William J. Crawford.” 2. MacDonald, Charles B., “The Siegfried Line Campaign,” Office of the Chief of Military History, 1963. 3. Truman Library, “Medal of Honor Ceremony for William J. Crawford.”