John Crutchfield was born on August 4, 1925, in Callahan, Texas. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on January 25, 1943, and went on active duty in the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on September 13, 1943. Crutchfield was awarded his pilot wings and was commissioned a 2d Lt in the U.S. Army Air Forces on February 1, 1945. He then attended B-17 Flying Fortress Transitional Training at Williams Field, Arizona, from February to May 1945, followed by B-29 Superfortress Transitional Training at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico, from May to July 1945. Lt Crutchfield served as a B-29 pilot with the 68th Bomb Squadron of the 44th Bomb Group at Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas, from July to December 1945, and then at Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, from December 1945 until he left active duty and joined the Air Force Reserve on February 10, 1946. He served with the 9815th Air Reserve Squadron of the 9172nd Air Reserve Group at Abilene, Texas, from February 1946 until he left flight status and joined the Judge Advocate General's Corps in December 1955. Major Crutchfield then served as a Legal Officer with the 819th Combat Support Group (later redesignated the 96th Combat Support Group) at Dyess AFB, Texas, until his retirement from the Air Force Reserve on November 1, 1967. John Crutchfield Flew West on June 27, 1977, and was buried at Westland Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas.