Staff Sergeant John R. Crews, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on April 8, 1945 in Lobenbacherhof, Germany during World War II. At the time he was serving with 2d Platoon, Company F, 2d Battalion, 253d Infantry, 63d Infantry Division. Crews was 22 years old.
The medal was presented on June 25, 1948, 3 years after the action.
Crews was born on March 8, 1923 in Golden, McCurtain County, Oklahoma. His Medal of Honor is credited to Bowlegs, Seminole County, Oklahoma. Crews died on September 25, 1999 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the age of 76. He is buried at Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Crews is one of 474 Medal of Honor recipients from World War II and one of 25 credited to Oklahoma.
Official Medal of Honor citation
He displayed conspicous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of 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 machine gun and automatic rifle with rifle support opened up on it from a hill on the right flank. Seeing that his platoon leader had been wounded by their fire, SSgt. Crews, acting upon his own initiative, rushed the strongpoint with two men of his platoon. Despite the fact that one 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 singlehandedly, he killed two of the crew of the machine gun at point-blank range with his M1 rifle and wrested the gun from the hands of a 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 seven 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.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Wounds and injuries
What the citation records about his wounds:
Storming the well dug-in position singlehandedly, he killed two of the crew of the machine gun at point-blank range with his M1 rifle and wrested the gun from the hands of a German whom he had already wounded.
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.
- Age at death: 76
- Resting place: Resthaven Memorial Gardens
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: World War II.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Oklahoma →
Timeline
- March 8, 1923Born in Golden, McCurtain County, Oklahoma
- April 8, 1945Act of valor — Lobenbacherhof, GermanyAge 22. 2d Platoon, Company F, 2d Battalion, 253d Infantry, 63d Infantry Division
- June 25, 1948Medal of Honor presented
- September 25, 1999Died in Oklahoma City, OklahomaAge 76.
- Resting placeResthaven Memorial GardensOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Biography
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.
From the Wikipedia article “John R. Crews”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
