#VeteranOfTheDay Air Force Veteran Carl B. Crumpler

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Air Force Veteran Carl B. Crumpler, a fighter pilot taken as a POW for five years in North Vietnam.

Carl B. Crumpler was born in July 1927 in Waldo, Florida. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve on June 25, 1945, toward the end of World War II and served on active duty for one year. Crumpler attended the University of Alabama, where he was a member of the Air Force ROTC program. The program commissioned Crumpler as a second lieutenant in 1950. He commenced active duty at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, with 14^th Air Force. Crumpler attended pilot training for two years, first at Greenville Air Force Base in Mississippi and then at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, until May 1952.

Crumpler served as an F-86 Sabre pilot with the 94^th, 327^th, and 16^th Fighter Interceptor Squadrons. While serving with the 16^th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Crumpler served in Okinawa, Japan. Crumpler’s other roles included aircraft maintenance officer with the 1^st Organizational Maintenance Squadron, detachment commander the 3751^st and 3321^st Field Training Squadrons and for the 3320^th Tech School and Aircraft Maintenance Staff Advisor to the Imperial Iranian Air Force in Tehran, Iran. Crumpler then served as an F-4 pilot, assistant Chief of Operations Plans and Chief of Operations and Training with the 8^th Tactical Fighter Wing in Thailand.

During his 45^th combat mission, Crumpler destroyed four enemy aircraft artillery locations. Right after, the enemy scored a direct hit. Crumpler ejected from his aircraft over North Vietnam. The enemy captured him and took him as a prisoner of war. He spent 1,714 days as a prisoner in North Vietnam until his release during Operation Homecoming on March 14, 1973.

Crumpler retired from the Air Force Oct. 1, 1977. During his service, Crumpler received a Legion of Merit, a Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Star Medals, a Purple Heart and a Prisoner of War Medal.

Crumpler passed away in September 2019.

We honor his service.

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Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Contributors

Writer: Mackenzie Knight

Editor: Kara Anderson, Essence McPherson

Fact checker: Claire Dufault

Graphic artist: Alyssa Morford