Crackel, Harold Leon 'Toad'

1924 - 2021  (96 years)

• Name	Crackel, Harold Leon 'Toad'
  		Harold Leon 'Toad' Crackel (1924-2021)
  Birth	25 Nov 1924	Illinois   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	CRAC.H001
  _FGRAVE	222920247
  Military Service	World War II, Flight Officer, 333rd Troop Carrier Squadron, 513th Troop Carrier Group, United States Army Air Forces  [3, 4]
  	Served as an enlisted man prior to December 7, 1941. Volunteered for flight training in mid-1943. Upon graduation as a rated pilot, promoted to Flight Officer and entered active service in that capacity on September 8, 1944. Trained as a Twin EnEngine Transport Pilot (mos 1051). Departed the Continental U.S. on March 9, 1945 bound for the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations. Assigned to combat support missions with the C-47. Equipped 333rd Troop Carrier Squadron, 513th Troop Carrier Group through the Central Burma and China Offensive Campaigns. Missions included evacuation of wounded to India. Earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 bronze battle stars and the WWII Victory Medal. Honorably separated from the service as a Flight Officer on January 27, 1946 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. This information has been posted on the National World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances website by Robert Medley Gatewood. It is entered here with his permission. Source: https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=1936554
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		Harold Leon Crackel (1924-2021)
  		United States Army Air Forces
  		United States Army Air Forces
  		Flight Officer (abbreviated as FO), United States Army (1941-1947)
  		Flight Officer
  		Warrant officer, United States Armed Forces
  		Warrant Officer, United States Military
  		Military Service Ribbons, Crackel, Harold Leon 'Toad' (1924-2021) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
  		Distinguished Flying Cross, United States Armed Forces
  		Distinguished Flying Cross, United States Armed Forces
  		Air Medal, United States
  		Air Medal, United States
  		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		China Burma India Theater -- World War II
  		Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota
  		Jefferson Barracks Military Post, Lemay, Missouri
  		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007 On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. …
  		World War II Honoree, Crackel, Harold L. (1924-2021)
  Death	19 Jan 2021	Grass Valley, Nevada County, California   [3]
  Burial	Clay City Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois   [5]
  		Headstone, Crackel, Kathern L. and Harold L. Displayed with permission of Lady in Black
  Person ID	I18550	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	12 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Crackel, C. Walter,   b. 20 Oct 1896, Illinois d. 22 Nov 1969, Clay County, Illinois (Age 73 years)
  Mother	Bateman, Bertha E.,   b. 26 Nov 1897, Clay County, Illinois d. 18 Feb 1994, Washington, Franklin County, Missouri (Age 96 years)
  Marriage	Y  [1, 2, 6]
  Family ID	F8341	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Putnam, Kathern L. 'Putt',   b. 22 Mar 1927   d. 18 Sep 2015, Grass Valley, Nevada County, California (Age 88 years)
  Marriage	Y  [3]
  Children	+ 1. Crackel, Norma L.,   b. 29 Jul 1952, Flora, Clay County, Illinois d. 1 Apr 2009, Trident Medical Center, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina (Age 56 years)
  Family ID	F5317	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	31 Jan 2023

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 25 Nov 1924 - Illinois Death - 19 Jan 2021 - Grass Valley, Nevada County, California Burial - - Clay City Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  Harold Leon Crackel, aka "Toad" or "Popsie," World War II pilot, expert woodworker, skilled welder, lifelong learner, proud resident of southern Illinois for 90 years, and most notably a strong willed debater, died January 19, 2021 at the age of 96 in Grass Valley, CA. He was preceded in death by his daughter and son-in-law, Norma and Dennis Carder and by his wife and sweetheart of 70 years, Kathern "Putty" Crackel. He will be forever missed by his daughter and son-in-law: Vicki and John Deam; his granddaughters: Rachelle (Nate) Ferguson, Shannon (Sam) Ward; and his great grandsons: Kaden Ferguson, Carder Ferguson and Dylan Burrow.

  
  

• Sources

  [S3157] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois, (District 13-3) (Village), image 5, page 3a, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/M-T0627-00769-00053?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.asp) (Reliability: 3). [S248] Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Illinois, (District 0003) (Village), image 03, page 2a, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/6224/4584337_00604?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.aspx%3fd), none. (Reliability: 2). [S10727] http://findagrave.com, Obituary, Crackel, Harold Leon, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/222920247/harold-leon-crackel), none. (Reliability: 2). [S14791] World War II Honoree, Harold L. Crackel, (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=1936554), none. (Reliability: 1). [S12478] http://findagrave.com, Headstone, Crackel, Kathern L. and Harold L., (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152527487/kathern-l-crackel), none. (Reliability: 2). [S4827] https://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Crackel, Bertha E. and C. Walter, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18300949/c-walter-crackel), none. (Reliability: 2).