Rank Staff Sergeant Battles and wars World War II | Name John Crews Battles/wars World War II | |
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Born March 8, 1923
Golden, Oklahoma ( 1923-03-08 ) Place of burial Resthaven
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Died September 25, 1999, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States Awards Medal of Honor, Silver Star Unit 2nd Battalion, 63rd Infantry Division | ||
Service/branch United States Army Allegiance United States of America | ||
John R. Crews (March 8, 1923 – September 25, 1999) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions at The Battle of Buchhof and Stein am Kocher. in World War II.
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Biography
Crews joined the Army from Bowlegs, Oklahoma in 1942, and by April 8, 1945 was serving as a Staff Sergeant in Company F, 253rd Infantry Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division. On that day, near Stein-am-Kocher, Germany, Crews single-handedly destroyed two German emplacements.
Crews died at age 76 and was buried in Resthaven Gardens Cemetery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
He is the great-uncle to author Kambri Crews.
Medal of Honor citation
Staff Sergeant Crews' official Medal of Honor citation reads:
He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 8 April 1945 near Lobenbacherhof, Germany. As his company was advancing toward the village under heavy fire, an enemy machinegun and automatic rifle with rifle support opened upon it from a hill on the right flank. Seeing that his platoon leader had been wounded by their fire, S/Sgt. Crews, acting on his own initiative, rushed the strongpoint with 2 men of his platoon. Despite the fact that 1 of these men was killed and the other was badly wounded, he continued his advance up the hill in the face of terrific enemy fire. Storming the well-dug-in position single-handedly, he killed 2 of the crew of the machinegun at pointblank range with his M 1 rifle and wrested the gun from the hands of the German whom he had already wounded. He then with his rifle charged the strongly emplaced automatic rifle. Although badly wounded in the thigh by crossfire from the remaining enemy, he kept on and silenced the entire position with his accurate and deadly rifle fire. His actions so unnerved the remaining enemy soldiers that 7 of them surrendered and the others fled. His heroism caused the enemy to concentrate on him and permitted the company to move forward into the village.