A regular janitor turned out to be a Medal of Honor recipient!
This is exactly what happened with William “Bill” Crawford. Private Crawford single handedly took out three enemy machine guns during the invasion of Salerno, Italy in World War II. All alone, Bill halted the enemy platoon’s advance and fortified his own troops position. Unfortunately, Bill was captured and when he couldn’t be found, was declared dead. After marching over 500 miles in 52 days in a German POW camp eating only a potato a day, Bill was rescued and set free. After finishing his service and retiring as a MSG, Bill became a janitor.
He went over twenty years without being recognized until a young cadet read about him in a military history book and rekindled Bill’s fame. In fact, he gained so much recognition that President Ronald Reagan formally presented Bill with his award so many years after he had received it. Read more about William Crawford and his bravery here!
