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Contact Info
Home Town Cohoes, New York
Last Address Universal City, Texas
Date of Passing Oct 03, 1980
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
He was an F-100 Misty Fast FAC based at Phu Cat AB, RVN until he was forced to eject over North VietNam Dec 12, 1967, was captured, and spent 1,920 days as a POW. He was awarded 3 Silver Stars for his service in Vietnam. Later he served as Air Attache to Bulgaria and Hungary; and was training to be Air Attache in Honduras when he died of a heart attack while on active duty.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Major Robert Roger Craner (AFSN: FV-3034131/11261367), United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force while serving with the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Phu Cat Air Base, Vietnam, as a member of a two-man Forward Air Control team operating over North Vietnam, on 24 August 1967. On that date, Major Craner directed four flights of strike fighters against two active hostile anti-aircraft artillery sites which were preventing successful interdiction operations along a heavily traveled supply route. In order to positively identify the targets to each succeeding strike flight, he had to repeatedly dive through extremely intense barrage fire from the two coordinated anti-aircraft artillery sites. Despite the extreme personal danger, Major Craner and his fellow crew member delivered their ordnance precisely on target and enabled the strike fighters to identify and neutralize the threat to subsequent flights in the area. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Major Craner has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star to Major Robert Roger Craner (AFSN: FV-3034131/11261367), United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force while serving as an F-100F Forward Air Controller of the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Phu Cat Air Base, Vietnam, while directing fighter aircraft in North Vietnam, on 9 November 1967. On that date, Major Craner repeatedly dove his aircraft through extremely intense hostile anti-aircraft artillery fire in the process of directing fighter operations against lucrative targets and defending gun positions in several different areas. His aggressiveness and courage in the face of withering fire and his complete disregard for his own personal safety were instrumental in the destruction of many of the hostile guns, thereby reducing the threat to friendly aircraft operating in those areas. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Major Craner has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Third Award of the Silver Star to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Roger Craner (AFSN: FV-3034131/11261367), United States Air Force, for gallantry and intrepidity in action in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force during the period 28 to 31 December 1967, while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. Ignoring international agreements on treatment of prisoners of war, the enemy resorted to mental and physical cruelties to obtain information, confessions, and propaganda materials. Lieutenant Colonel Craner resisted their demands by calling upon his deepest inner strengths in a manner which reflected his devotion to duty and great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase III Campaign (1967-68)
From Month/Year
June / 1967
To Month/Year
January / 1968
Description This period was from March 9, 1967-March 31, 1968. On March 10, 1967. Seventh Air Force F-105s and F-4s bombed a new target. the Thai Nguyen iron and steel plant. 30 miles north of Hanoi. The Rou.mo Tnuuoaa bombing campaign continued with strikes against bridges. petroleum storage. cement plants. and power transformer stations near Hanoi. USAF and naval aircraft also conducted armed reconnaissance over most of North Vietnam. Missions against major supply routes from China targeted railroad yards. repair facilities. bridges. and support areas. Early in August 1967 American air attacks against the Paul Doutner Bridge in I-lanoi knocked out the center span. Poor weather in the first 3 months of I968 forced U.S. aircraft to rely almost exclusively on all-weather bombing techniques in North Vietnam; nevertheless. the Paul Doumer Bridge remained unusable most of the time. While overland routes might be interdicted. Haiphong harbor and docks still remained off limits to U.S.
pilots. A continuous flow of supplies moved through the port from the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, which largely
offset North Vietnam's losses.
U.S. aircraft used electronic countermeasures and other techniques to limit the effectiveness of North Vietnam's antiaircraft defenses. North Vietnamese forces fired 55 SAM: on the average for each U.S. aircraft destroyed. To reduce the threat of a resurgent North Vietnamese Air Force. in April 1967 the United States bombed MiG bases. destroying several jet aircraft on the ground. In aerial combat during the first 6 months of 1967 (primarily in April. May. and June). U.S. pilots destroyed 54 MiGs while losing ll aircraft. But between August 1967 and February 1968. the United States lost l8 aircraft to MiGs while destroying only 5 enemy aircraft. On January 14, 1968. two MiGs shot down an EB-66 that was jamming enemy radars from an orbit 90 miles from Hanoi. The USAF subsequently used the vulnerable EB-66s in already established orbits over Laos and the Gulf of Tonkin. accepting degradation of jamming to lessen the risks of aerial interception.
On April 6, 1967. the North Vietnam Anny and Viet Cong forces attacked Quang Tri. the northemmost provincial capital. 20 miles south of the demilitarized zone. To counter the offensive. on May 18 South Vietnamese and U.S. troops entered the DMZ for the first time. USAF B-52s. tactical air forces. and naval and army artillery strikes combined with Allied ground forces to destroy temporarily NVA strength in the zone. The NVA then shifted its artillery positions north of the DMZ. rebuilt its forces in the area. and on September l renewed attacks on the U.S. Marine base at Con 11tien. Immediately South of the DMZ. With forward air controllers pinpointing artillery and other targets, the USAF began an aerial attempt to destroy enemy positions. and by October 4 the North Vietnam Anny had been forced to withdraw once again.
Shortly afterward. in November 1967, U.S. forces conducting search and destroy operations in the Central Highlands encountered strong Viet Cong resistance near Dalt To. I5 miles east of the border junction between Laos. Cambodia. and the Republic of Vietnam. Tactical aircraft and B-52s provided close air support while USAF C-130s flew supplies and reinforcements to the Dak To airstrip. U.S. air-power inflicted heavy casualties. and the enemy withdrew on November 24.
In the Laotian part of the conflict. during the summer of 1967, Seventh Air Force provided extensive air support to Laotian troops battling the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese forces on the Plain of Jars near Luang Prabang. The I-lo Chi Minh Trail in the Laotian panhandle also came under constant attack. Between December 1967 and February 1968. Seventh Air Force pilots flew over 20.000 sorties against transportation lines in Laos and claimed destruction of more than 3.000 trucks. But the Communists continued to build up forces in Laos and Cambodia in preparation for a major offensive that began on January 21. 1968. when the NVA surrounded and laid siege to Khe Sanh. a U.S. Marine base in a valley 7 miles east of the Laotian border and 15 miles south of the demilitarized zone.
