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= William Randall Crecelius =

2nd Lieutenant William Randall "Randy" Crecelius (21 November 1918 – 19 December 1943) was a World War II Troop Carrier Squadron pilot who died in the Canal Creek air crash north of Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia.

Early life
Crecelius was the first of five children born to Henry Crecelius and Maude Miley Crecelius in Gibson County, Indiana. He graduated from Francisco High School in 1936.

World War II service
Crecelius enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on September 26, 1940. He was eventually assigned to the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group. This Squadron operated the Douglas C-47 Skytrain in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) during the war.

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on May 29, 1943. His citation included the following: "He took part in more than fifty missions, dropping supplies and transporting troops over territory that was continually patrolled by enemy fighter aircraft. Often landings were made on fields only a few miles from Japanese bases. These operations aided considerably in the recent success in this theatre."

Burial
It took more than four years to return Crecelius' body to the United States. He was buried on March 11, 1948 in the family plot of Warnock Cemetery in Princeton, Indiana.

Legacy
The Lt. William Randall Crecelius Scholarship was established at Oakland City University in 1983.