Half a world away, Private Bill Crawford tossed about on his straw-filled, burlap mattress in a futile attempt to find some comfort.  He was tired, he was sore, and he was embarrassed.  How had he let himself be captured?  How had he even survived that horrible battle at Altavilla, Italy nine months earlier?  Did his family even know he was alive?  Would he survive life in the German prisoner of war camp to ever return home?

Unable to find rest, he pulled from his pocket the small New Testament that his German guards had passed on to him from the Red Cross, and opened it.   He looked down and read the first verse to meet his gaze, Romans 8:31, "If God be for us, who can be against us."  Reading the Bible was a new practice for the young boxer from Pueblo, Colorado but that particular verse was his favorite and he had read it so many times, the worn little Testament seemed to open to that verse on its own accord.  In the words of that verse he found strength to face each new day.  He had fought his battles.  Now, as a prisoner, he needed someone stronger than himself to insure his future.  In a prisoner of war camp named Stalag 2b, Bill Crawford made his peace with God.  It was a step that became the focal point that guided the rest of his life.

Life in the camp was difficult, but not unbearable.  There were moments, like that day in the early spring of 1944 when a German guard had clubbed Private Crawford in the head with the butt of his rifle.   The former Gloves Boxer refused to take such unwarranted punishment.  In the middle of the compound, he ripped the rifle from the hands of his tormentor and rained a series of blows on him that rendered the German unconscious.  Crawford thought he would be severely punished, but the camp's German doctor noted the bruising from the unwarranted attack of the guard and testified in the young American's defense.   Amazingly, the German guard was punished and Crawford exonerated.  Even as the young man had always garnered the respect of his comrades, as a prisoner he also garnered the respect of his captors.

Two months after Private Crawford's Medal of Honor was presented to his father as a posthumous award, the family received news that the young hero was alive.  At about the same time, a telegram arrived at the prison camp informing Private Crawford of his unique and high award.  His treatment improved even more, the Germans themselves respecting his Medal of Honor award and recognizing him for the man of character he was.  But even this could not spare him the perils of the last months of the war.

In the winter of 1944, the Russian army was swiftly advancing into Germany on the eastern front, and the prisoners of Stalag 2b were assembled as the Germans attempted to move the camp.  For 52 days the prisoners were marched through the frozen mountains, one step ahead of the advancing Russian army.   In those 52 days, Bill and his fellow prisoners were marched 500 miles, subsisting on a meal of one potato a day.  Resting firmly in his belief that "If God be for me, who can be against me", Private Crawford determined to survive and return home.   In the spring of 1945 an advancing tank column finally brought him liberty.   He took his first hot shower in nearly eighteen months on VE-Day, 11 days before his 27th birthday.

In a 1995 interview, Bill Crawford recalled the joy of his release and the long ocean voyage home.  As the ship entered New York harbor, "I saw the Statue of Liberty there, and boy it looked good.  It was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."  Private Crawford's joy in his release, far overshadowed any prestige he felt at the award of the Medal of Honor.  Though it would never be forgotten, it would take nearly 40 years for Bill Crawford to finally receive the honor he so truly deserved.