In
the arms of brothers
By Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer
ARLINGTON, VA. — “This is it.”
Joseph Crescenz cried as he and his four living brothers prepared to
join an early morning procession from the Philadelphia area to Arlington
National Cemetery, to bury the remains of their brother, U.S. Army Cpl.
Michael J. Crescenz on Monday, May 12.
A native son of the Philadelphia Archdiocese, Crescenz died a hero’s
death at age 19, 40 years ago in Vietnam.
Arlington, the Crescenz brothers all agree, is where their brother the
hero belongs. “It’s a beautiful place,” said Crescenz,
51, who belongs to Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Parkesburg.
“This is one of those moments where you can be proud to call yourself
Roman Catholic,” Crescenz said after his brother’s 1 p.m.
burial in Arlington, which was officiated by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph
P. McFadden.
A driving rainstorm did not dampen the full military honor burial, which
was befitting a Medal of Honor recipient.
“It rained a lot in Vietnam, too,” said Crescenz’s
squad leader, U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Retired Jimmy Willard, 60,
who traveled to Arlington from Walla Walla, Wash., to bid his comrade
goodbye. “We stood tall in Vietnam and we stood tall today.”
Willard commended his fallen comrade. “If anybody could have won
the Vietnam War single-handedly, it would have been Mike,” he
said. “I remember how hard-charging Mike was. From the time he
got to Vietnam, he wanted to be where the action was.”
Willard said he was less than five feet away from Crescenz the day he
died. “He was there in the thick of it. He was doing what he came
there to do — defeat the enemy. I think, because of him there
are a lot of men who are still alive. … God bless Mike and God
bless his family.”
The hymn “Amazing Grace,” played on bagpipes “at this
honored place,” was a highlight of the service in Arlington for
Steven Crescenz, 48, a member of St. Eleanor Parish in Collegeville.
The fifth of the six Crescenz brothers, Steven was 8 years old when
Michael died.
At the request of the Crescenz family, Bishop McFadden officiated for
the graveside prayers. “He’s a credit to the priesthood,”
Joseph Crescenz said of Bishop McFadden. “He’s a credit
to our Roman Catholic faith. He’s a true gentleman.”
Bishop McFadden said he considered it a privilege. “It certainly
was a great honor to be able to commend him to the Lord, knowing that
he made the ultimate sacrifice — he laid down his life for others.
Certainly, that speaks to us about what our faith is,” he said.
“As Jesus said, no greater love does one have than to lay down
one’s life for one’s friends.”
During Catholic Schools Week this past January, members of the Crescenz
family joined Bishop McFadden — who assists Cardinal Justin Rigali
in overseeing the Secretariat for Catholic Education — in inducting
Michael Crescenz into the Archdiocesan Hall of Fame. Michael, who graduated
from St. Athanasius School in 1962 and from Cardinal Dougherty High
School in 1966, was one of six alumni named distinguished graduates
by the Office of Catholic Education.
On Friday, May 2, Crescenz’s casket was taken from Holy Sepulchre
Cemetery in Philadelphia — where it had been buried since December
1968 — to the Terry Funeral Home in Downingtown. Then, 10 days
later, a motorcade estimated at more than 200 vehicles, including some
motorcycles, accompanied the casket from there to Arlington.
Bishop McFadden offered prayers for Crescenz at the funeral home before
departing with the soldier’s family in the motorcade; he said
one of Michael’s comrades gave him a Miraculous Medal to be buried
with the slain hero.
“The Blessed Mother always protects her children,” Bishop
McFadden said.
Nov. 20 will mark the 40th anniversary of Michael’s death.
It was Joseph Crescenz — then 12 years old — who answered
a knock at the door one early Saturday morning four decades ago to find
a military official waiting outside his family’s home. The officer
had come to tell them of Michael’s death.
When young Joseph called to his parents that an officer was at the door
— his father was shaving in the bathroom and his mother was making
breakfast for the family — he heard a pan drop to the kitchen
floor.
“I know it tore their hearts out when they got word, almost 40
years ago, that Michael wouldn’t be here anymore,” Joseph
said. “Like any mom and dad, they felt that parents should not
outlive their child.”
Joseph said Michael — the second of six sons of the late Charles
Jr. and Maryann Crescenz — was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
because it was near the Crescenz family’s home at the time.
Less than two years ago, Joseph approached his brothers about investigating
the possibility of having Michael buried at the cemetery in Arlington.
They agreed.
“It’s a once-in-lifetime experience, and I’m proud
to have met all these fine veterans who have served this country,”
Joseph Crescenz said of those he met throughout the process. “Their
support and understanding of the situation is amazing.”
Joseph Crescenz accepted the flag that covered his brother’s casket
at Arlington. He wanted the flag to be given to his oldest brother,
Charles, 60, who served in Vietnam as a machine-gunner in the U.S. Marine
Corps from 1967-’68. But Charles, who belongs to St. Joseph Parish
in Toms River, N.J., in the Trenton Diocese, insisted that Joseph receive
the flag.
Charles credits Joseph with doing most of the legwork for Michael’s
reburial.
“No, I didn’t,” Joseph said. “I just did what
I thought was right — to have Michael back with his brothers here
in Arlington.”
As Joseph Crescenz was handed the flag, he said, he was thinking, “I
wish Mom and Dad were here to get it.” But he felt their presence:
“Mom and Dad, I’m sure, are very proud.”
At Dougherty, Crescenz was a standout academic, varsity baseball player
and student leader. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army and was
deployed to Vietnam in September 1968.
Less than two months later, Cpl. Crescenz made the ultimate sacrifice
when his company engaged the North Vietnamese Army in gun battle. With
two of his company’s men already gunned down, he charged into
the field, killing six Vietnamese soldiers and providing his comrades
with the time they needed to reposition themselves to defeat the enemy.
Five meters from the safety of a bunker, Cpl. Crescenz was shot and
killed.
His actions won him numerous posthumous medals, including the Purple
Heart, and the nation’s highest military decoration — then
called the Congressional Medal of Honor, it is now known as the Medal
of Honor.
Burying their brother at Arlington, said Charles Crescenz, brought a
lot of closure. “It was spectacular.”
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine may be reached at (215)
587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.