No Greater Love: The Story of Michael Crescenz, Philadelphia’s Only Medal of Honor Recipient of the Vietnam War
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Philadelphian Michael Crescenz’s death provoked little public commentary when it was first reported in November 1968. He seemed just one of many who died in the Vietnam War, important to those who knew him but not remarkable in the life of the city. All of that changed, however, when President Richard Nixon awarded Crescenz the Medal of Honor in April 1970. Since then, city newspapers and other news outlets perennially discuss Crescenz’s selfless actions in Vietnam. In 2015, Philadelphians celebrated Crescenz by renaming the Veteran Administration Medical Center in his honor, and a year later, they unveiled a statue of him at the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial.In No Greater Love, author John A. Siegfried and Philadelphia Inquirer journalist Kevin Ferris attempt to honor Crescenz by revealing why he risked his life to save others and understand how his service fits within the context of life in Philadelphia from the mid-twentieth century to today. The book, which covers Crescenz’s life, death, and memorialization, relies on extensive interviews with Crescenz’s family and friends. While often moving, the larger historical context for the city and country is often lost in the narrative. That said, this book makes for gripping reading while also giving insight into how Crescenz’s family and friends mourned him for many years after his death. Extending the history beyond the Medal of Honor ceremony shows the long and painful experience of loss for the Crescenz family, a key part of the history of his valiant service.In addition to a short forward by Joesph Crescenz, Michael Crescenz’s brother, and a two-page prologue, the book comprises nine chapters. The first eight chapters follow a chronological order. The final chapter functions as a conclusion. Chapters 1 and 2 attempt to explain how Crescenz learned values from his family and West Oak Lane neighbors. The authors share important details that track with larger themes in Philadelphia history, but they do not depart from their goal to portray Philadelphia in the 1950s and 1960s as an idyllic place that instilled in Michael Crescenz both courage and a strong moral compass. While much space is given to the Catholic Church, the Ogontz Boys Club, and the Cardinal Doughtery High School in the narrative, there are few citations from these institutions. Instead, the authors use oral histories of those who grew up with Crescenz. Taking this approach gives some credibility to the history because the authors retain the slang common to the Philadelphia region.The third and fourth chapters focus on Crescenz’s enlistment and service and repeat the method of reliance on interviews. In this section, Siegfried and Ferris miss an opportunity to contextualize Crescenz’s decision to join the military in January 1968. Protests and counterprotests in the city, mid-Atlantic region, and across the nation are mentioned in no more than a sentence or two. More reflection here would have underscored the significance of Crescenz’s belief that he had, in his brother’s words, a “duty to serve our country—whether it was a just or right war, it was their duty to serve this country and they dealt with it as it came to them” (33). Reliance on oral history interviews also causes the authors to miss the operational and strategic context of Crescenz’s time in Vietnam. Oral history testimony sheds light on battalion commander Robert “Sam” Wetzel’s tactical decisions, but the book does not detail operations in I Corps or the war’s larger strategy in the months Crescenz served. Nonetheless, the interviews the authors use are colorful and underscore the great bravery Crescenz demonstrated when attacking enemy positions. Siegfried and Ferris prove Crescenz’s actions saved lives in November 1968.Chapter 5 details initial reactions to Crescenz’s death. Here, the authors provide block quotes of letters sent to the Crescenz family from Archbishop of Philadelphia John Cardinal Krol, President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Philadelphia Mayor James J. Tate, as well as from Crescenz’s battalion commander Wetzel. Mayor Tate’s letter is especially provocative because he described the Vietnam War as both an “ugly war” and “a just and honorable cause” (72). These letters are valuable in that they show the sorts of messages a grieving family may have received during the war. The chapter ends with an insightful discussion of how Crescenz was selected for the Medal of Honor.Chapter 6 is dedicated to describing the Medal of Honor ceremony in April 1970. Siegfried and Ferris describe the historical significance of the White House room in which the award was presented. They also provide extensive block quotes of President Nixon’s speech and each citation for all Medal of Honor recipients honored in the ceremony. However, the chapter would have been stronger with some reflection on what the award meant to President Nixon and where it fit within his administration’s messaging on the war, especially since weeks later Nixon would speak on the necessity for attacks into Cambodia. Additionally, the chapter is missing the response to the citation from the city, although the event was covered in the Philadelphia Inquirer.Chapter 7 follows the history of the transfer of Crescenz’s remains from Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Pennsylvania to Arlington Cemetery, Virginia, in 2008. In this chapter, Siegfried and Ferris provide a fine-grained account of the many steps taken over a two-year period to make this honor a possibility. The authors also highlight the influence of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and activists in moving the process along.The eighth chapter of the book follows a similar trajectory, describing the efforts at memorialization in naming the VA Center for Crescenz and the creation of the statue of Crescenz in the Vietnam War Memorial of Philadelphia. In this section, the authors highlight the lobbying required to achieve these goals. Extensive block quotes capture the speeches given at the events, which may prove a helpful resource for future scholars attempting to understand the commemoration of the Vietnam War in the 2010s.The final chapter of the book functions as a conclusion that reflects on Crescenz’s service. Here, Siegfried and Ferris turn to an interview Wetzel provided in 2013 that underscores Crescenz’s bravery and personal initiative. Using quotes from this interview and others, the authors make a convincing case for the significance of Crescenz’s actions beyond nationalist interpretations and toward a deep sense of obligation to the men with whom he served. Siegfried and Ferris also utilize testimony from friends and family to show the grief they still experience from Crescenz’s death. In taking this approach, Siegfried and Ferris end the book on a strong note.This book meets its goal to explain the meaning of Michael Crescenz’s service. While some key contextual details and analysis would have made the book’s reach greater, it is, in general, a helpful addition to literature on the Vietnam War and memorialization. From letters to the Crescenz family to extensive block quotes of remarks made at commemorations, this book will prove useful to historians seeking to understand how Philadelphians made sense of Vietnam War losses.
Source: Pennsylvania history
Author: Zachary M. Matusheski, PhD
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409574830