World War II Honoree

John Howard Crocker, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

GRADUATED FROM NEW MEXICO MILITARY INSTITUTE IN 1942. JOINED THE NAVY AND SERVED IN NAVAL AVIATION. TRAINED AT CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS AND LOS ALAMITOS, CALIFORNIA. ASSIGNED TO BOMBER SQUADRON 19 AS A NAVAL AVIATION OBSERVER (NAVIGATOR). SERVED IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LEXINGTON (CV-16). AWARDED THE NAVY CROSS FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM DURING A DIVE-BOMBING ATTACK THAT SCORED A DIRECT HIT ON A JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER DURING THE BATTLE FOR LEYTE GULF IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. PARTICIPATED IN AIR STRIKES IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS AND IN THE BATTLE OF THE PHILIPPINE SEA, PALAU ISLANDS AND PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. ALSO AWARDED THE AIR MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, WWII VICTORY MEDAL, AND PHILIPPINE LIBERATION MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AFTER THE WAR AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.