The state of Oklahoma will recognize former Chandler resident Ronald Crews on Oct. 21 in Chandler’s Tilghman Park.
Family and friends will gather at 2:00 p.m. just south of the Chandler Sr Citizen Building on Hwy 18 to honor and recognize Ron for fighting to protect his country and its many freedoms.
The Crews family invites everyone to join them in this happy occasion with a reception being held after the ceremony at Tilghman Park.
Crews, a former Chandler resident growing up, better known as Ron or Ronnie to most people, is an American hero to those who know him and know his military background.
He began his military career in Oct. 9, 1966, in the United States Army. He attended basic combat training at Fort Polk, La., moved to Fort Belvoir, Va., where he was trained as a generator mechanic, and later was assigned to Fort Bliss, Tx.
He was later deployed to Lai Khe, VietNam to work as a mechanic. Shortly after arriving in VietNam he volunteered to join the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) of the 1st Infantry Division and then became part of five- and six-man teams going on recon missions to do surveillance.
After completing his first tour of duty, Crews volunteered for his second tour, where he went back to Lai Khe.
By then, he was a sergeant.
Crews was on a mission on Dec. 31, 1968, that would change his life forever. His team was ambushed and took a grenade at point-blank range, with him being behind the point man upon detonation.
He sustained life threatening injuries and was paralyzed down his right side. He had a lacerated artery at his right elbow, plus 20 other places where he was severely wounded.
Doctors did not expect Crews to survive because of the severity of the wounds and the large amount of blood that he lost before getting medical attention.
The actions he took moments after being wounded are considered heroic in nature. Without regard to his own severe wounds and loss of blood, he not only was able to remain conscious, he was able to call in artillery and medivac and rallied the other 3 men to take care of the wounded point man while covering for his men with gunfire while being hurriedly transported on a stretcher.
Other teams arrived to help and Crews was carried out of the jungle to be flown to the Mash hospital and then to the 249th hospital in Saigon where he was kept to recover for a month.
Then he was stationed at Fort Sill, where he given an honorable discharge on Oct.13, 1969. Crews returned home to Chandler where he spent some more time recuperating from the wounds and trauma that he had experienced.
Crews received numerous awards, including 3 Bronze stars, a Purple Heart, a combat infantryman badge and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.