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Rank and organization: Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps. Place and date:
Near Port Lyautey, French Morocco, 8 November 1942. Entered service at:
Michigan. Birth: 9 April 1900, Traverse City, Mich. G.O. No.: 11, 4 March
1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above
and beyond the call of duty. On 8 November 1942, near Port Lyautey, French
Morocco, Col. Craw volunteered to accompany the leading wave of assault
boats to the shore and pass through the enemy lines to locate the French
commander with a view to suspending hostilities. This request was first
refused as being too dangerous but upon the officer's ins1stence that he
was qualified to undertake and accomplish the mission he was allowed to
go. Encountering heavy fire while in the landing boat and unable to dock
in the river because of shell fire from shore batteries, Col. Craw, accompanied
by 1 officer and 1 soldier, succeeded in landing on the beach at Mehdia
Plage under constant low-level strafing from 3 enemy planes. Riding in
a bantam truck toward French headquarters, progress of the party was hindered
by fire from our own naval guns. Nearing Port Lyautey, Col. Craw was instantly
killed by a sustained burst of machinegun fire at pointblank range from
a concealed position near the road.
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)
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