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Bill Crumpacker of Fresno, CA appears on episode #125 of Hometown Heroes, debuting July 31, 2010. Born in Idaho and raised in Redding, CA, Crumpacker enlisted in the Marine Corps months after graduating from Shasta High School.

Crumpacker fought with the First Marine Division on Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian. He somehow survived the carnage at Tarawa, where he had to wade several hundred yards to shore when the Navy’s boats were hung up on reefs.

A retired schoolteacher, Bill continues to educate through his volunteer work at the Veterans Memorial Museum, Home of the Legion of Valor. He has been a docent there since the museum opened more than
20 years ago. The plaque under that giant purple heart medal bears the name of Fresno County veterans who have received that decoration. Bill Crumpacker’s name is the first name on the list.