Medal of Honor Recipient Paid with His Life

Yesterday was Veterans Day but let us not forget the gallant acts that made heroes of many teens and twentysomethings in the nation’s wars. One such young man was posthumously honored by Sea Isle City at its observance by dedicating 46th Street to the memory of Medal of Honor recipient Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz.
The ceremony took place following the observance at Veterans Park in the 100 block of 46th Street. According to a city release, Crescenz was born in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia, and attended Cardinal Dougherty High School. His parents were married in Sea Isle City and the family summered there for many decades.
Green Creek resident Jim Carroll gifted me with one of his cherished possessions in 2010, “The Congressional Medal of Honor, The Names The Deeds.” That book by Sharp & Dunnigan offers an insight into the deed that went before the nation’s highest medal.
To those of the Vietnam War era, Crescenz’s name could have been any of ours. He was born Jan. 14, 1949 in Philadelphia. It was from there he entered the Army. He probably took his oath at 401 N. Broad St. in February 1968, as did many who went from that Armed Forces Examination and Entrance Station to the farthest reaches of the earth, to places many could not spell or pronounce. He shipped out for Vietnam in September 1968.
Crescenz was in Company A, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division ordered to Hiep Duc Valley, in the central highlands about 35 miles southwest of Da Nang, Vietnam. It was Nov. 20, 1968, and the 19-year-old Philadelphian served as a rifleman.
In his book “Vietnam Hiep Duc – LZ West,” author James Allen Logue wrote, “The countryside was beautiful; it was hard to believe that we were fighting a war in such a peaceful looking place.”
According to the Medal of Honor book, “In the morning his unit engaged a large, well-entrenched force of the North Vietnamese Army whose initial burst of fire pinned down the lead squad and killed the two point men, halting the advance of Company A. Immediately, Cpl. Crescenz left the relative safety of his own position, seized a nearby machinegun and, with complete disregard for his safety, charged 100 meters (over 300 feet) up a slope toward the enemy’s bunkers which he effectively silenced, killing the two occupants of each.
“Undaunted by the withering machinegun fire around him, Cpl. Crescenz courageously moved forward toward a third bunker which he also succeeded in silencing, killing two more of the enemy and momentarily clearing the route of advance for his comrades. Suddenly, intense machinegun fire erupted from an unseen, camouflaged bunker.
“Realizing the danger to his fellow soldiers, Cpl. Crescenz disregarded the barrage of hostile fire directed at him and daringly advanced toward the position. Assaulting with his machinegun, Cpl. Crescenz was within five meters (15 feet) of the bunker when he was mortally wounded by the fire from the enemy machinegun. As a direct result of his heroic actions, his company was able to maneuver freely with minimal danger and to complete its mission, defeating the enemy.
“Cpl. Crescenz’s bravery and extraordinary heroism at the cost of his life are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit and the U.S. Army.”
Crescenz was the only Philadelphian to be awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War.
Crescenz was survived by his parents and five brothers. His Medal of Honor was presented by President Richard M. Nixon at the White House April 7, 1970.
He was originally buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Cheltenham, Pa. In 2008, after the death of his parents, Crescenz was reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery.
His name will be remembered in the place where he spent boyhood summers, playing in the surf with his brothers, building sand castles, enjoying the good life. In those carefree days, he likely never dreamed what he would do in the future. He never dreamed of the day that earned him the nation’s highest honor and cost his life.
That young man was a true American hero.