Major Crandall's Role In The Military Essay

Major Bruce P. Crandall was a Flight Commander, serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division in the Vietnam War when the ground commander ordered the aircraft to abort the scheduled search and destroy mission from Plei Me, Vietnam, to Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley. However, Major Crandall, having successfully landed once despite enemy fire, assessed the situation at Landing Zone X-Ray and determined the troops were in need of ammunition and medical evacuation. Quickly, Major Crandall ignored the orders from the ground commander, as well as his own personal safety, and began to lead aircraft to Landing Zone X-Ray to supply ammunition and evacuate wounded soldiers. Warrior Ethos, as part of the Army’s values, is fully demonstrated by Major Crandall’s actions. Major Crandall put his mission first, despite clear danger. He set out to complete an aircraft mission, and he succeeded in that endeavor even after being told to abort the mission. Major Crandall did not quit. It would have been easy to land safely at Plei Me and abandon the scheduled mission, but Major Crandall went beyond what was expected of him and continued his mission. Major Crandall did not accept …show more content…
Army. Most obviously, the soldiers received ammunition which they needed to continue to battle the enemy fire. Just as importantly, wounded soldiers were evacuated to receive medical care, which prevented injuries from becoming fatal. However, Major Crandall’s actions also added to troop morale. Other pilots were inspired to continue aircraft missions, which spread the positive outcomes to even more soldiers. Seeing Major Crandall and the other pilots sacrifice their safety spread a positive attitude through the troops and gave them motivation to rally and fight. The actions of Major Crandall helped the U.S. Army troops both physically and