World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Horace 'Sally' Crouch
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Columbia, South Carolina
Honored By
A Grateful American
LIEUTENANT COLONEL. MEMBER OF THE DOOLITTLE RAIDERS' DARING BOMBING RUN OVER JAPAN DURING WWII. HE WAS ONE OF 80 AIRMEN ABOARD 16 B-25 BOMBERS THAT MADE THE RAID. AWARDED THE SILVER STAR, THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS AND THE AIR MEDAL WITH AN OAK LEAF CLUSTER. THE RAIDERS, WHO TOOK OFF FROM THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS HORNET EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE DESIGNED TO TAKE OFF FROM LAND, WERE LED BY FAMED AVIATOR JIMMY DOOLITTLE. THEY BOMBED JAPANESE MILITARY TARGETS BEFORE CRASHING OR BAILING OUT OVER CHINA. THE RAID WAS DESIGNED AS PAYBACK FOR PEARL HARBOR FOUR MONTHS EARLIER. MANY CONSIDERED IT A SUICIDE MISSION. THREE AIRMEN DIED IN THE RAID AND EIGHT WERE CAPTURED. THREE OF THE CAPTIVES WERE EXECUTED. CROUCH AND THE OTHER RAIDERS VOLUNTEERED FOR SECRET, DANGEROUS DUTY WHILE STATIONED AT THE COLUMBIA AIR BASE. THEY DID NOT KNOW THEIR TARGET UNTIL THEY BOARDED THE NAVY AIRCRAFT CARRIER.