![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
John Edward Crowley
Specialist Four
D TRP, 1ST SQDN, 1ST CAVALRY, AMERICAL DIV, USARV Army of the United States Williamson, New York September 25, 1949 to August 10, 1970 JOHN E CROWLEY is on the Wall at Panel W8, Line 99 See the full profile or name rubbing for John Crowley |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Specialist John Edward Crowleyis remembered by his friends and comrades ofWilliamson (New York) American Legion Post #394.
American Legion Post #394
|
Dear Roommate & Fellow Crewchief
Paul E. Christen |
Your smile
I remember your warm smile and sunny disposition.
From a fellow WCS 1967 classmate. |
John, I knew you only by name, but you are my brother. I served with First Air Cavalry, RVN 1970-71. I've worn your M.I.A. bracelet since 1973 & just learned of your homecoming 2 days ago. In remembrance of you, I'll wear it the rest of my life. When we meet in Heaven I'll give it to you. God Bless You.
Welcome Home, John. |
John Crowley, I participated in recovering your body from the helo wreckage in Laos. I was given your retired MIA bracelet once we returned to Hawaii with your remains. I wear it often as a reminder of your sacrifice. I tell your story when people ask me about the bracelet.
From the medic on the 8-man search team for JTFFA, |
Notes from The Virtual WallOn 10 August 1970 D Troop, 1/1 Cavalry, was tasked with inserting a Special Forces reconnaissance team into Laos about 26 kilometers west of Ngok Tavok. The aircraft, UH-1H tail number 68-16520, was crewed by
When the helicopter lost power and crashed when it was about 25 feet above the ground in the landing zone. SP4 Crowley and one passenger were trapped inside the aircraft. A medic from another helicopter entered the wreckage and managed to free the passenger, but Crowley was firmly wedged between the aircraft and the ground. After two or three minutes of effort, the medic gave up trying to free him. The medic determined that Crowley was dead, as there was no pulse and he could get no response from him. All personnel were extracted and another rescue team was inserted just before dark, but was unable to get back to the wrecked aircraft because of enemy activity. The second team was extracted the next day, and no further efforts were made to go back to the crash site. SP4 Crowley was classed as Killed in Action, Body Not Recovered. His remains were recovered on 26 June 1998 and officially identified on 22 April 2000.
Army Specialist 4 John Edward Crowley, whose remains were identified earlier this year after being recovered by U.S. and Laotian investigators, was laid to rest with full military honors.
The service was attended by members of Crowley's family and an honor guard of Vietnam veterans from the Rochester, New York, area. The Crowley family requested a private ceremony.
Crowley, 20, of Williamson, New York, was declared missing after his helicopter crashed on a secret mission in Laos on August 10, 1970. He was pinned under the wreckage, and a medic determined that he was dead.
When North Vietnamese troops thwarted an attempt to recover Crowley's body, he was officially listed as "killed/body not recovered."
Investigators learned in 1995 that members of an ethnic minority group in Vietnam had recovered part of Crowley's body and buried it with reverence in their village. Members of the group led a search into Laos last year that recovered more remains.
DNA analysis identified the remains as Crowley's in March 2000. With the recovery, 2,021 Americans are still listed as missing from the war.
He arrived in South Vietnam in January, 1970 and was assigned to D Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry, of the American Division. His unit ferried Green Berets on top-secret missions into neutral Laos, where they harassed North Vietnamese who were bringing soldiers and supplies into South Vietnam along a supply line known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Daniel Crowley said he accepted his brother's death years ago but is relieved that his family finally has an answer. "As far as 30 years of wondering, we've reached the end of it," he said. "John is finally coming home."
|
Contact Us | © Copyright 1997-2019 www.VirtualWall.org, Ltd ®(TM) | Last update 08/15/2019. |