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Crescenz was killed on Nov. 20, 1968 after single-handedly charging enemy bunkers in the Quang Nam region of South Vietnam. The entrenched North Vietnamese fighters had opened fire and killed two point men in Crescenz’s unit, blocking the advance of the U.S. soldiers. Crescenz, a rifleman, grabbed a machine gun and dashed about 300 feet up a slope toward two bunkers, killing the two enemy fighters in each. When he took out the two fighters in a third bunker, Crescenz’s unit was able to advance. He was killed moments later by enemy gunfire from a camouflaged bunker.
Crescenz, who grew up in West Oak Lane, was just 19.
In the years that followed, many of his colleagues credited Crescenz’s valor with saving their lives. After his body was shipped home, he was buried in Holy Sepulchre at the wish of his parents, who wanted him close by, but his brothers long felt he should have been buried in Arlington, among so many other soldiers who served in our nation’s wars and died.
Their parents have since passed on. About 20 months ago, Joe Crescenz, with the support of his four siblings, embarked on the mission to have their brother buried in Arlington National Cemetery. After much bureaucratic red tape, long-awaited approvals finally set the stage for the May 12 journey from Downingtown to Arlington, Va.
"Joe’s a very traditional guy, and I think it means a lot to him," said Kathy Kuehn, who attended the burial ceremony with her husband Matt, who grew up with Joe Crescenz, now 51.
Matt Kuehn, who will retire from the New Jersey State Police in a year, made the trip in his trooper uniform, but he wasn’t working on this day. He used vacation time so that he could pay his respects to Michael Crescenz.
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Tony Boyle, a Philadelphia officer with the Southwest Police Division, is the police department’s military liaison and often was at the front of the procession, his motorcycle guiding scores of vehicles from the funeral home in Downingtown, Chester County, to Arlington, a three-hour trip that was assisted by other law-enforcement agencies along the route, including the Pennsylvania and Maryland state police and the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C.
Halfway through the trip down I-95, the procession pulled into a Maryland rest stop, where veterans were waiting with signs welcoming the Crescenz family and the mourners. More joined the procession at that point, including additional members of the Patriot Guard Riders, an organization of motorcycle owners who attend funerals to pay tribute to U.S. soldiers.
Despite the rainy day, participants like Boyle shunned the weather to be part of a historic moment.
"I was just honored to be a little part of it," said Boyle, who has friends who are Medal of Honor recipients. "In this day and age, far too many people don’t know what a Medal of Honor is, much less what its recipient really has to do to even be considered."
Cpl. Michael Crescenz’s medal was presented to his parents, Charles and Mary Ann, by President Richard Nixon during a White House ceremony on April 7, 1970.
The Medal of Honor — formally created during the Civil War — has been awarded to 3,447 recipients, including one woman, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a volunteer Union Army surgeon, whose medal was rescinded by an Army review board in 1916 but reinstated by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.
The most recent medal was awarded posthumously on April 8 to Michael A. Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who died in Iraq nearly two years ago when he flopped on a grenade to save the lives of his colleagues.
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For those who made the trip to Arlington, the magnitude of the Crescenz medal and his burial in such consecrated ground were fully understood.
"He was only a year older than me when he died, giving his life for his country, and to see him buried in a place of honor, there’s no words to describe it," said Julia Walsh, a Cardinal Dougherty student who made the trip.
The other three students, members of the student government group at Dougherty, shared similar views. Phinh Phan thought Crescenz’s brothers "made the right choice" to move him to Arlington, and Kevin Pires marveled at the bravery exhibited by Crescenz and others who fight for this country.
"I don’t know how many people in our generation would be willing to make the sacrifice that he made," Pires said.
Dennis Luminella, a partner with the James J. Terry Funeral Home, said he decided to help the cause because he has known Joe Crescenz for 20 years and also wanted to salute Michael’s legacy.
"It’s an honor anyway, just because of what he did for the country," said Luminella, who was assisted by his son Dennis Jr., a veteran of the Persian Gulf War.
Although the funeral home paid for the casket, while the military took care of the burial costs at Arlington, Joe and his brothers had to pay for the exhumation from Holy Sepulchre, transportation costs related to the move, and the purchase of an underground vault that protects the casket.
The Crescenz siblings have established a fund in their brother’s name to recover some of those costs, as well as to make a donation to a program that assists soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
As for Joe Crescenz, who was only 11 when his brother was killed in action, he couldn’t have been more pleased with this final chapter in the story of Michael’s life.
"I was just in awe of everything," he said. "The pomp and circumstance of what the military does for one of their own . . . presidents get that kind of ceremony. They really outdid themselves. They’re unbelievable."
He was just as appreciative of the turnout, especially that so many veterans could attend.
"It’s a strong bond between those men, let me tell you," he said. "It’s like a blow, I’ll never forget it. It was very emotional, very touching seeing some of these veterans that served with my brother. It’s a common bond for these guys. It was a nice homecoming for veterans." ••
Donations can be sent to: Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz Memorial Fund, c/o Willow Financial Bank, Account No. 2300093472, 3909 West Lincoln Highway, Downingtown, PA 19335. Attention: Susan Hernandez.
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com