Cram joined the Vermont National Guard's 172nd Infantry Regiment in 1933. He was commissioned a
second lieutenant of
Cavalry upon graduating from Norwich, and was assigned to the staff of Vermont's adjutant general. He attended
Boston University Law School from 1937 to 1938.
World War II Cram joined the
Army Air Force for
World War II. He received his rating as an
Observer, and flew
anti-submarine patrols in the
Pacific. His assignments included temporary duty with both the
Navy and
Marine Corps. While on temporary duty with the navy, he served aboard ship with
James Roosevelt.
Later military career Cram returned to the Vermont National Guard after the war, and joined the active air force in 1947. He was a specialist in long-range planning and international relations, including the creation of policies and programs during the
Korean War, and his assignments included: Secretary of the United States-Canada Regional Planning Group, a
North Atlantic Treaty Organization entity; director of Plans,
Third Air Force; Chief, Air Force Branch,
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe; commander, U.S. Air Force Orientation Group, which provided education on air force initiatives including the space program to U.S. and international civilians and military members; member,
Joint Chiefs of Staff Special Study Group; and advisor to the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for European Plans and Policy. He received a
master's degree in politics and government from the
University of Maryland in 1963. He was also a member of
Pi Sigma Alpha, the honor fraternity for those in the political science field. Cram also graduated from the
Army Command and General Staff College,
Armed Forces Staff College, and
National War College. He retired as a
colonel in 1964.
Adjutant general When Cram retired from the air force in 1964 he was appointed Deputy Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard, serving under Adjutant General Francis Billado. When Billado died suddenly in September 1966, Cram served as acting adjutant general for three months. In November another officer,
Brigadier General Wayne Page, announced that he would be a candidate for the Adjutant General's post. In December
Governor Philip H. Hoff named Page to serve as acting adjutant general. Cram then resigned as deputy and campaigned against Page for a full two-year term. While both Page and Cram were
Republicans and Hoff a
Democrat, contemporary press accounts indicate that Hoff selected Page because other National Guard officers had expressed to Hoff their preference for Page, an Army National Guard officer, over Cram, an Air National Guard officer, because the majority of the Vermont National Guard was made up of army units. (Since the 1860s, Vermont's adjutant general is elected for a two-year term by the
Vermont General Assembly. At the time, elections were held in February of each odd-numbered year, and the term started the following March.) In February 1967 Cram won an upset victory and ended Page's three-month tenure. Cram was promoted to major general and served as adjutant general from 1967 until retiring in 1981. During Cram's time as adjutant general, he oversaw the participation of selected Vermont units and soldiers in the
Vietnam War, and he traveled to
South Vietnam on visits and inspection tours on more than one occasion. The Vermont National Guard also constructed several new armories to consolidate operations and replace aging facilities. In addition, he supervised National Guard activities during state emergencies, including a flood in 1973. He also increased military participation in winter sports, including hosting several biathlon events in Vermont. These efforts helped create the army's
World Class Athlete Program. In 1980 Cram presided over a muster of the entire Vermont National Guard, which gathered in one location to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the organization's mobilization for World War II. ==Later life and death==