A Sudden Change

This janitor dedicated most of his time to the military family. The cadets would prepare for their examinations and athletic events while the old janitor would be busy taking care of all the trivial stuff at the academy. Since he had an introverted nature, Mr. Crawford never mingled with any of the kids. He was known to be silent and would not talk unless spoken to. The only thing he did the whole day would be sweeping, cleaning toilets and emptying dustbins. As he was going about doing whatever needed to be done, the surprise unveiling of his past took place unexpectedly…

A Shocking Discovery

On a Saturday afternoon, the old janitor was busy doing his daily duties cleaning while the cadets were having an exam. Moschgat, who was a cadet then, was just flipping through the pages of a book that was about the World War II and Allied ground campaign in Italy. It was then that he saw something that made him scream, “Holy cow!. He was shaking with disbelief and even wrote later, “The words on the page leapt out at me.” He was there to fulfill his dreams of becoming an F-16 pilot but stumbled upon a ginormous secret that Mr. Crawford was hiding from everybody.

The Connection

As he flipped through the pages, he saw a person with the name “Private William Crawford” printed in big bold letters. He knew he had heard of that name before but could not immediately place it on a face. But then he remembered the old janitor at his academy. He started to question if janitor William Crawford had any link to this person named “Private William Crawford” he saw in the book. After a few days, the whole batch was intrigued to know if “old grandpa” was at all affiliated with this trooper…

A Story About Courage

Moschgat was about to face his exams soon so he had to prepare for them. It was then that he unexpectedly came across this name. He read about a battle that took place some 30 years ago. The story he read was of a life-risking US Army’s 36 Infantry Division’s battle with enemy forces near Altavilla. The story cited a particularly brave soldier by the name Private Crawford who was described to be “in the face of intense and overwhelming hostile fire…with no regard for personal safety… on his own initiative, Private Crawford single-handedly attacked fortified enemy positions.”

A Leader

When he read through the pages, Moschgat was determined to find out if the Air Force Academy’s custodial was in any way related to the heroic Private Crawford. He made a plan to ask if Mr. Crawford was the same man. Wasting no time, Moschgat and his roommate searched the halls to confront the janitor with the history book in his hand. When asked about it, the janitor looked uncomfortable and was reluctant to join in the conversation. For a while, he did not address the question. The two cadets were not about to leave him alone any time soon and resorted to handing him the book. Just then, Mr. Crawford’s face changed…

The Reluctant Truth

Mr. Crawford remained silent as soon as he held the book. He glanced through the pages of the book attentively and surprised the cadets with his answer. The janitor finally admitted, “Yep, that’s me.” This answer only sparked up the increasing curiosity in the boys. It is rare to find a man who would rather keep his historic achievements in the dark like Mr. Crawford. When inquired about his reasons for keeping things a secret, he answered, “That was a long time ago and one day in my life”. This was just the beginning of Mr. Crawford’s tale and he was about to give the shock of their lives to the two roommates.