John R. Crews

Charging enemy gun positions while wounded under heavy fire.

John R. Crews was born on March 8, 1923, in Golden, Oklahoma. He entered the Army in 1942, served as a military policeman and escorted German prisoners from Casablanca to the United States in 1943. He joined the 63rd Infantry Division in 1944 and entered combat in Europe that December. He served as a staff sergeant with Company F, 253rd Infantry, 63rd Infantry Division during World War II.

On April 8, 1945, near Lobenbacherhof, Germany, enemy weapons on a hill fired into his advancing company and wounded his platoon leader. Crews led two men toward the position. When both companions became casualties, he continued alone.

He overran a machine-gun emplacement and then attacked an automatic-rifle position. Although wounded in the thigh, he silenced the defenses. Seven enemy soldiers surrendered and others fled. By drawing their attention, he enabled his company to advance into the village.

After recovering from his wound, he served on occupation duty in Germany and was discharged in November 1945. He married Joan and raised two sons and two daughters.

President Harry Truman presented his Medal of Honor at the White House on June 25, 1948. Crews died on September 25, 1999, in Oklahoma City and is buried at Resthaven Memorial Gardens there.

Official Medal of Honor citation:

He displayed conspicuous 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.