My Dad, Robert B. Crawford went into the Army at the age of 19 and landed in Normandy three days after D-Day. He fought with the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, 9th Armored Division through five European Countries and many battles. To this day, he has nightmares about the death and destruction he witnessed and took part in. He was wounded December 23rd, 1944 in the Belgium town of Saint Vith, during the Battle of the Bulge. Though Snow is a rare occurrence here in Texas, when it does snow you can catch him staring out the window for long periods. He is thinking back to that December in 1944 when he witnessed so many of his friends killed or terribly wounded while trying to hold back the German advance in snow and sub freezing weather.
But what makes my Dad a Hero is the fact that he has never forgotten the names of those in his Platoon who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The memory of these names are at times painful to him and he sees their faces in his minds eye. I can remember as a little boy growing up, he would tell me these men's names, rank and where they were from, every time I would ask him about the war. His feelings are that, as long as they are remembered, they live on, even though it's only in a memory. Now he has a Grandson and a Great Grandson who ask him about his experiences in the war and he tells them the Names of these men like he did to me, insuring that these men will be remembered and live on in our memories.
Fort Worth, TX
