• His third assignment was one year on a light ship in the mouth of the Columbia River monitoring ship traffic. He requested this assignment because his brother Dick was already on it. • He served until the war ended in 1945, and he separated as a petty officer 3rd class and a coxswain. After hearing more about him, I knew I could not just show up and thank him for his service; I needed to do something more. I had no idea at that time how the Coast Guard would come together to make this such a special day. I decided to go to Station Seattle to see if I could get an American flag and a Coast Guard ensign from one of the small boats. If I could get both flags, I wanted to have as many Coasties as I could sign the Ensign, thanking Crandall for his service. When I arrived at Station Seattle, I met with Petty Officer 1st Class Erik Kozora and Lt. Sean Mazer. I had no idea how this would all play out, but I could not have met better people to help. I explained what was going on and then shared some pictures of Petty Officer Crandall. Without any hesitation, the Station Seattle team agreed to provide the flags. This is where things got really special. Kozora told me that he lived near Port Townsend, Wash., which is where PO Crandall attended boot camp back in 1942. Back in those days, there was a large base called Fort Worden, which served as a line of defense against enemies attempting to enter the Puget Sound region via the water. Today, Fort Worden is a beautiful State Park where families go to camp, play in the water and visit the historical bunkers, officer housing and barracks. A little Hollywood history: Fort Worden is where the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" was filmed in 1982. Kozora offered to bring the American flag up to Fort Worden and have it flown there in honor of Petty Officer Crandall. I was so excited when he told me that, I could not pass up the offer. What are the odds that on the day I went into Station Seattle (during a pandemic!), I would run into Petty Officer Kozora, and this plan would be put into motion? I guess, as they say, the stars just align, and this was definitely one of those days. Not only that, but we only had a few days to pull this all off and get the flags back down to Oregon, to present to Petty Officer Crandall. In addition to flying the flag at Fort Worden, BM1 took the flag to the Coast Guard Cutter Osprey, which is homeported in Port Townsend, and asked the cutter fly the flag in honor of Crandall. The flag was eventually driven approximately 300 miles in one week to make all its stops. On the day of the parade, a group of Coasties arrived in Sandy to meet with our veteran and present the gifts to him. Crandall was presented with the American flag, the ensign, coins, a plaque, and a life ring from the Coast Guard Cutter Bluebell, which was signed by the chiefs mess. To make the day even more special, we were asked by the family to lead the parade to Petty Officer Crandall. We were followed by a fire truck, police vehicles and lots of friends and family in their vehicles. We formed up and marched down the road, calling cadence until we arrived at Petty Officer Crandall’s table. The formation then stopped, turned, and faced him so we could present the gifts and thank him for his service. He and his family were so appreciative and thankful to all the Coasties who came out to visit. It was evident how much the Coast Guard’s presence there meant to them. His family said Petty Officer Crandall is now proudly showing off all his new Coast Guard gifts on the wall in his room. This was one of those moments in my career that I will never forget. It was an honor for all of us to be a part of this special day. To all the Coasties who came out to be a part of this special day, thank you for going above and beyond to celebrate the service of a great Coast Guardsman. To Petty Officer Crandall, thank you for your dedicated service to our country, you are an inspiration to all of us. Finally, special thanks to Fireman John Conn, Petty Officer 1st Class Erik Kozora, Petty Officer 1st Class Colin Russell, Senior Chief Petty Officer Heather Sands, Senior Chief Petty Officer Joanne Cloud, Master Chief Petty Officer Tim Beard, Lt. Matt Tighe and the Sector Columbia River Consolidated Chiefs Mess for helping make this day so special. Stories like this are why I love serving in the Coast Guard, because we have such great people who go above and beyond to take care of each other. . Ed's Note: Petty Officer Ed Crandall passed away in May, and the author said he was grateful they got a chance to honor this great man. Petty Officer 3rd Class Ed Crandall was honored for his service in World War II. Issue 2 • 2021 . RESERVIST 17
