Richard Henry “Dick” Crane, FHS Class of 1943
Image: Framingham High School
Richard Henry Crane was born in Gloucester,MA on 06 September 1925. For most of his life, 178 Arthur Street in Framingham was his home. Richard,also known as “Dick,” attended Framingham High School. He was a member of the Class of 1943. This class included Charles Flagg, who was Killed in Action on Iwo Jima (19 February 1945). After graduation, Dick was employed as a truck driver by Twin Maple Farm in Saxonville.
Private Richard R. Crane (Army Serial Number 51001256) was inducted into the US Army on 24 October 1950. He was soon en route approximately 16 weeks of infantry training at Camp Rucker,Alabama. He was subsequently assigned to the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division. He quickly headed to the Republic of Korea as a critically needed replacement. The war was not going well for the Allies.
1st Cavalry Division Shoulder Patch
5th Cavalry Regiment Crest Officer Collar Insignia
On 25 June 1950, North Korean Forces attacked South Korea across the 38th Parallel. Soon thereafter, North Korean tanks were rolling through Seoul, the South Korean capital and beyond. General Douglas MacArthur’s Far East Command in Japan was tasked with managing the US response. On 18 July 1950, the 1st Cavalry Division (among other Allied units) was deployed to Korea. The division was assigned to the US Eighth Army.
For 50+ days between late July and mid-September 1950, US and UN forces held the critical Pusan Perimeter in southeastern South Korea. Literally “backed into a corner,” this battle was a “must win” for the Allies. Here,the North Koreans were stopped in their tracks, and the tide of the war began to turn. Pusan became the arrival point for US, UN and other nations' forces and supplies. The Allies, and their South Korean partners (aka Republic of Korea-ROK) now had the forces and equipment needed to go on the offensive and push the North Koreans back north out of South Korea.
Phases of the Korean War 1950-1953
Source: Hans van de Ven, “China at War – Triumph and Tragedy in the Emergence of New China”
On 15 September 1950, the Allies conducted a surprise amphibious landing (aka Operation CHROMITE) at Inchon, which was 110 miles behind the North Korean lines. The success of this operation gave the Allies the opportunity to break out of the Pusan Perimeter and cut off North Korean troops operating south of the 38th Parallel (aka an “envelopment operation”).
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And push they did. On 09 October 1950, the 5th Cavalry crossed the 38th Parallel. On 19 October, they entered Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea. UN Forces would soon rapidly approach the Chinese border. Unfortunately, on 25 October 1950, an estimated 120,000-150,000 Chinese “volunteers” smashed into the unsuspecting Allied Forces near the Yalu River. By early 1951, the Allies had again been pushed back beyond Seoul. On 15 March 1951, after heavy fighting, the Allies recaptured Seoul.
US troops in the snow-covered hills north of Seoul (January 1951)
Image: National Archives
In May-June 1951, the UN launched a counteroffensive in response to the Chinese Communist Forces Spring Offensive of April and May 1951. At that time, Dick and the 5th Cavalry were north of Seoul engaged in intense combat for important hills and ridges. On 20 May 1951, Corporal Richard Crane was Wounded in action (WIA) for which he was awarded the Purple Heart Medal. He was hit by shrapnel/shell fragments in his right shoulder. He was treated and returned to duty.
Korean War Medals and Badges Awarded to Corporal Dick Crane
Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB)
Purple Heart Medal UN Service Medal US Korea Service Medal
Medal Images: Public Domain
By December 1951, the 1st Cavalry Division, after 549 days of continuous fighting, headed back to Japan. The 5th Cavalry departed Korea on 07 December. After three years of brutal combat (1950-1953), an armistice ending the war was signed on 27 July 1953. According to the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the total number of US deaths due to Korean War hostilities is 33,739. Of that number, 866 were Massachusetts residents. Seven (7) Framingham men who served did not return. There were approximately 103,000 service members wounded in action.
US Korean War Memorial, Washington, DC
Images: National Park Service
Republic of Korea War Memorial, Seoul
Image: Author
On 19 July 1952, Dick was discharged from the Army. His total military service time encompassed one year, eight months, and 26 days. He spent 11 months overseas (Korea, Japan).
Following his active duty stint, Dick returned to Arthur Street and The Twin Maple Farm (TMF) on Meadow Street. TMF was one of five dairies in Framingham — Sunshine, Waveney, Fairfield, and Hillside. It featured classic "milkman,” door to door service. The company stayed in business until 1967. The land is currently being developed as a planned residential neighborhood.
TWF Glass Milk Bottle
Bottle Cap
Middlesex Farm Fair at Shoppers' World (Circa mid-Fifties)
(Note milk truck behind dairy stand)
Images: Framingham History Center
Dick passed away on 24 October 1983 at the young age of 58. His final resting place is in St. Steven’s Cemetery in Framingham.
Sources
Bowers, William T.,editor. Striking Back:Combat in Korea, March–April 1951. University Press of Kentucky, 2009.
Brady, James.The Coldest War:A Memoir of Korea. Crown, 1990.
Department of Defense
Fehrenbach, T.R. This Kind of War:The Classic Military History of the Korean War. 50th anniversary ed., Potomac Books, 2003.
First Cavalry Division Association
Framingham History Center
Framingham High School
Halberstam, David. The Coldest Winter:America and the Korean War. Hyperion, 2007.
Hastings,Max. The Korean War. Michael Joseph, 1987.
McGrath,John J. The Korean War:Restoring the Balance, 25 January–8 July 1951. U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2000.
The National Archives
The National Park Service
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
US Army Center of Military History
Van de Ven, Hans J. China at War:Triumph and Tragedy in the Emergence of the New China. Harvard University Press, 2018.