World War II Honoree

Richard Edwards Cragg

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Chicago, Illinois

Honored By

Eric Hageman

Relationship

Friend

ENLISTED IN U.S. NAVAL RESERVE AS FIREMAN 3RD CLASS. JULY, 1940, SPENT TWO WEEKS ON TRAINING CRUISE IN GUNBOAT USS WILMINGTON, PG-8. COMMISSIONED ENSIGN, U.S. NAVAL RESERVE (PROBATIONARY) ON RETURN FROM CRUISE. SEPTEMBER REPORTED FOR DUTY IN LIGHT CRUISER USS BROOKLYN, CL-40 FOR 1 YEAR PROBATIONARY TRAINING. WAS MADE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF 'E' DIVISION (ELECTRICAL, 35 MEN). USS BROOKLYN CRUISED FROM NEW ZEALAND TO ICELAND AND POINTS IN BETWEEN. JULY, 1941, WAS PRESENT WHEN TWO U-BOATS WERE SUNK ON THE WAY TO ICELAND, PERMITTING THE WEARING OF AN A (ACTION IN THE ATLANTIC PRIOR TO DECEMBER 7, 1941) ON THE AMERICAN DEFENSE RIBBON. IN SEPTEMBER, 1941, WITH PROBATIONARY TRAINING OVER, LEFT THE USS BROOKLYN TO RECEIVE PERMANENT COMMISSION IN CHICAGO, AND ASSIGNED TO CIPHER MACHINE SCHOOL. IN JANUARY, 1942, WAS ASSIGNED TO THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, AND, BEING INACCESSIBLE WAS REASSIGNED TO THE U.S. NAVAL CODE AND SIGNAL LABORATORY (NCSL), WASHINGTON D.C. ROSE TO OFFICER IN CHARGE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. SOME SECRET INVENTIONS WHILE THERE PROVED VITAL IN WWII. WHILE THERE, MADE TRIPS IN THE FIELD TO U.S. NAVAL OBSERVER, HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, TERMINAL ISLAND NAVAL AIRPORT, CALIFORNIA, EL TORO MARINE BASE, MOJAVE DESERT, CALIFORNIA AND THE ALASKAN SECTOR, INCLUDING THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. DECEMBER, 1945, ACTIVE DUTY, HAVING BEEN PROMOTED THROUGH THE RANKS TO LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.