2nd Lieutenant William Randall "Randy" Crecelius was born on November 21, 1918 in
Gibson County, Indiana. He was the first of five children born to Henry Crecelius and Maude Miley Crecelius. Crecelius enlisted in the
United States Army Air Corps on September 26, 1940. He was eventually assigned to the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group. This Squadron operated the
Douglas C-47 Skytrain in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) during the war. He was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross on May 29, 1943. His citation included the following: "
He took part in more than fifty missions, dropping supplies and transporting troops over territory that was continually patrolled by enemy fighter aircraft. Often landings were made on fields only a few miles from Japanese bases. These operations aided considerably in the recent success in this theatre." After his death, it took more than four years to return his body to the United States. He was buried on March 11, 1948 in the family plot of Warnock Cemetery in
Princeton, Indiana. A scholarship in his name was established at
Oakland City University in 1983. == References ==