Lieutenant (Junior Grade) William Robert Crutcher, United States Navy Reserve, Service Number: 0-240373
SIGNIFICANT AWARDS
ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL
WORLD WAR II VICTORY MEDAL
SERVICE MEMORIES
Early Life
William Robert Crutcher was born on 1 May 1920 in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. His father, Chauncey Rolfe Crutcher, born 22 March 1894 in Ironton, Lawrence County, Ohio died 1 May 1962 in Chapel Hill, Orange County, North Carolina was a career Naval Officer (Captain) who served in both World War I and World War II. His mother, Marjorie Isabel Redmond was born on 3 January 1900 in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland and died in April 1986 in Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach City, Virginia.
William’s parents were married in about 1917. William was the second of three children in the family; he had an older sister and a younger sister. William Robert Crutcher was admitted to the Naval Academy with an At Large appointment on September 6, 1940 at age 20 years 4 months, but he resigned on April 6, 1942: "Deficient in studies. Recommended to be dropped. Permitted to resign."
Military
William Robert Crutcher joined the Navy in June 1939. After initial and additional follow-on training, he earned his wings as a Naval Aviator.
Death and Memorial
William Robert Crutcher was Declared Dead, Missing in Action or Lost at Sea on 3 April 1944 in the Hawaiian Islands. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal and the Purple Heart Medal. (Many references indicate that he was NOT awarded the Silver Star and that his name was confused with the individual who DID receive this award). He is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial in Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii and at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, Section: Section: 30, Site: 174-2.
Sources
https://www.fold3.com/memorial/529992523/william-r-crutcher
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121145387
https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=58889
https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/WILLIAM_R._CRUTCHER,_LTJG,_USNR
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen person's name and read his/her story.
If you have any details, photos, or corrections for this story, please email me by clicking on my name.
CDR Robert "Red" Mulvanny-Contributing Author, Stories Behind the Stars
