Congressional Medal of Honor
Rank and organization:
Private, U.S. Army, 36th Infantry Division.
Place and date:
Near Altavilla, Italy, 13 September 1943.
Entered service:
Pueblo Colo.
Birth:
Pueblo Colo.
G.O. No.:
57, 20 July 1944
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond
the call of duty in action with the enemy near Altavilla, Italy, 13 September 1943. When
company I attacked an enemy-held position on hill 424, the 3d Platoon, in which Pvt.
Crawford was a squad scout, attacked as base platoon for the company. After reaching the
crest of the hill, the platoon was pinned down by intense enemy machinegun and small-arms
fire. Locating 1 of these guns, which was dug in on a terrace on his immediate front, Pvt.
Crawford, without orders and on his own initiative, moved over the hill under enemy fire
to a point within a few yards of the gun emplacement and single-handedly destroyed the
machine gun and killed 3 of the crew with a handgrenade, thus enabling his platoon to
continue its advance. When the platoon, after reaching the crest, was once more delayed by
enemy fire, Pvt. Crawford again, in the face of intense fire, advanced directly to the
front midway between 2 hostile machinegun nests located on a higher terrace and emplaced
in a small ravine. Moving first to the left, with a handgrenade he destroyed 1 gun
emplacement and killed the crew; he then worked his way, under continuous fire, to the
other and with 1 grenade and the use of his rifle killed 1 enemy and forced the remainder
to flee. Seizing the enemy machinegun, he fired on the withdrawing Germans and facilitated
his company's advance.
