Samuel Lawrence Crawford, a Black U.S. Army Veteran Who Served in the Korean War, Posthumously Honored

Wilmington, DE — United States Army Private First Class Samuel Lawrence Crawford was recently recognized for his service as a MIA Korean War Veteran during a ceremony and dedication of a permanent memorial in his honor. He was also posthumously awarded a State of Delaware high school diploma. His sister and only sibling, Mrs. Rosa Lee Crawford Guy, represented him.

Crawford was born on October 21, 1932 and was a 17-year old residing in Wilmington, Delaware at the time he entered the Army (previously resided in Southbridge). He attended Ezion Fair Baptist Church, and enlisted in the Army in 1950 after completing his junior year in the Wilmington School District.

PFC Crawford entered the United States Army from Wilmington, Delaware and served in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. His occupation or specialty was Light Weapons Infantryman. He was reported missing in action on November 27, 1950, though specific details are unknown, and it is not clear which group from Company L he was with at the time of his loss. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and attempts to locate or recover his remains have been unsuccessful. He is a Purple Heart recipient.

PFC Crawford is the son of the late Mrs. Clara Mae Bracy Crawford Givens Huffmaster and the late Samuel Crawford. PFC Crawford is the brother of his only sibling, Mrs. Rosa Lee Crawford Guy; nephew of the late Lawrence Bracy, Jr.; uncle of Donell Lee Guy, Jr., Councilman Samuel L. Guy, Esq., and Quentin Lloyd Guy; 1st Cousin of Patricia Bracy Evans, Rodney Bracy, and Lawrence Bracy III.

About the Korean War

On July 26, 1948, shortly after World War II, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 ordering the integration of the armed forces. The President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services was formed as part of Executive Order 9981. The committee’s main purpose was to oversee successful racial integration of the US Armed Forces. At the end of June 1950, the Korean War started and was the last American conflict involving segregated units of the Armed Forces.

About the ceremony

A ceremony and dedication of a permanent memorial, sponsored by Ms. Rosely Robinson, a member of A Hero’s Welcome Delaware, and the Executive Administration of County Executive Matthew Meyer, was held at the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center on October 18, 2019. PFC Crawford was also posthumously awarded a Korean War Veteran State of Delaware High School Diploma. A tribute to the life and legacy of United States Army Private First Class Samuel Lawrence Crawford, Korean War MIA, in conjunction with the ceremony and dedication of a permanent memorial in his honor at the New Castle County Route 9 Library and Innovation Center.

Here is a link to the video of the ceremony (flagpole, monument, diploma):
https://youtu.be/FTXDmNOtLjc

 

PRESS CONTACT:
Rosa Lee Crawford Guy & Samuel Lawrence Guy
sguy41@comcast.net
302-444-7195