Donald Clair Crutchley
Corporal
G CO, 2ND BN, 1ST MARINES, 3RD MARDIV, III MAF
United States Marine Corps
Baltimore, Maryland
November 09, 1941 to December 18, 1965
(Incident Date December 10, 1965)
DONALD C CRUTCHLEY is on the Wall at Panel 4E, Line 22
See the full profile or name rubbing for Donald Crutchley

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Combat Action Ribbon
 

 
17 Apr 2006

Don and I met at Camp Pendelton. We were NCOs with Golf 2/1 and went to Vietnam in August 1965. We later were integrated into Fox 2/4. Don was a career Marine on his second enlistment. He loved the Marine Corps and was a happy, fun-loving guy. We planned to go on leave together when we got back to the world so he could meet a girl I had introduced him to via the mail. I still think of him often....

John (Jack) Leniger
jacklfarmboy@msn.com


 

A Note from The Virtual Wall

Until 22 December 1965 the 2nd Bn, 1st Marines provided the bulk of BLT 2/1. Golf 2/1 had lost three men on 05 Dec, and on 10/11 December Fox 2/1 lost eleven men in a bitter fight near Que Son. On the 18th it was again Golf 2/1's turn; they had two men killed in action and three "died of wounds" on 18/19 December:
  • Cpl Donald C. Crutchley, Baltimore, MD (DoW 12/18/1965)
  • Cpl Joseph M. Thimm, Armada, MI (DoW 12/18/1965)
  • LCpl Gregory Jeremicz, Philadelphia, PA (KIA 12/18/1965)
  • LCpl Clifford L. Whipple, Downey, CA (KIA 12/18/1965)
  • Pfc Kenneth K. Huffer, Kempton, IN (DoW 12/19/1965)
The Virtual Wall cannot determine if all five deaths resulted from a single engagement.

BLT 2/1 was dissolved on 22 December. As noted above, the men of Golf 2/1 were exchanged en masse with a rifle company from 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines; that exchange took place on 14 January 1966.


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