A True Patriot

This janitor is truly a humble soul as he was hardly seen donning his Medal of Honor while he was serving in the military because he felt unworthy of the high honor. This explains his nature a lot because he took up a job as a janitor. It is rare to see someone who has received such an honor to work a humble job such as this. Mr. Crawford makes sure he does his job perfectly just like his time as a soldier. Everyone at the Academy soon heard about the heroic tales of their ‘ordinary janitor’. His story truly changed people’s perspective of him and the way they treated him.

Attitude Adjustments

The courageous tale of this “janitor” spread like a wildfire in the academy. The cadets who initially left him unnoticed were now eager as ever to hear about his epic stories. Crawford was also a changed man after his story was spilled. He was now more confident and would reply to the “good morning” wishes that he received in a bolder tone with his signature crooked smile. He now called the cadets by their first names leaving an impact on each and every one of them. Moschet’s essay wrote, “While no one ever formally acknowledged the change, I think we became Bill’s cadets and his squadron.”

No Expectations

Since the cadets were warming up to him, Crawford also opened up slowly. A janitor at the academy was now one of the most popular faces. He was in attendance to more squadron functions wearing his dark suits. He was definitely a favorite among the cadets. Crawford also revealed to his new friend about his regrets of not being able to physically attend his Medal of Honor ceremony handed by the president as he was considered dead. Was there anything that could be arranged for this poor heroic soldier?

A Huge Surprise

Crawford received an invitation to join the Air Force Academy’s graduation day of the year 1984, as a guest. He did not expect to witness something extraordinary that day. Thousands of guests had arrived at the Colorado Springs Falcon Stadium to join the commencement festivities of this historical ceremony.  This was going to be a memorable day for the 66-year-old janitor. This day was a day celebrating and honoring dedicated cadets that had worked for months to get to this day. So what was in store for Mr. Crawford?

A Little Recognition

The stadium was packed with generals, cadets, staff and their close ones, alumni and President Ronald Regan. The commander in chief even included Crawford’s incredible leadership, humility, and respect in the speech that he gave. The people present there all locked their eyes on the janitor as the speech was going on. The President had even praised the formed war-hero who acted “above and beyond the call of duty.” It then came time for a life-changing event in Crawford’s life.

Endearing Acknowledgment

The President concluded his speech and had a special note. He then proceeded on to saying, “Now, there’s something I want to do that means a lot to me and, I’m sure, will mean a lot to you.” Then the president spoke about the achievements made by Crawford in World War II. He gave an account of Crawford’s service in Europe and about his imprisonment.