Medal of Honor Soldier, Civil War Nurse Honored in Phoenixville

The courage and sacrifice of two heroes from the Phoenixville region were remembered in honor of Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 16.

State Senator Andy Dinniman joined the Friends of the Medal of Honor Grove to honor Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Corp. Michael J. Crescenz at the Medal of Honor Grove.

Corp. Crescenz was the only Philadelphia resident to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War. For his bravery in helping free fellow soldiers who were pinned down by enemy machine gun fire, Corp. Crescenz was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1970.

Recently, the Philadelphia Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Woodlawn Avenue was renamed in his honor. The Crescenz family continues to reside in the area and Corp. Crescenz’s brother, Joseph of East Fallowfield, continues to be an active supporter of the Medal of Honor Grove and the Friends of the Medal of Honor Grove.

The Grove, located at the headquarters the Freedoms Foundations, just off Route 23 near Phoenixville, is the nation’s oldest memorial site dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients.

“In light of Congress recently naming the Philadelphia V.A. hospital after Corp. Crescenz we want to take the opportunity to pay tribute to his service and sacrifice here in Chester County,” Dinniman said. “It is our duty to ensure that his service is honored and his memory is never forgotten.”

Later, Dinniman joined the Phoenixville Area Historical Society in honoring Civil War nurse and Phoenixville native Rebecca Pennypacker Price with a special wreath-laying ceremony at Morris Cemetery.

At the onset of the Civil War, Price organized the Union Relief Society of Phoenixville to gather relief supplies for the Union Army and personally delivered them to a field hospital in Virginia.

Once there, she realized her calling and set to work cooking meals and tending to the wounded. A dedicated nurse and patriot, Price endured long hours and hellish conditions in service to the Union and its soldiers.

In turn, she quickly won the respect of doctors and surgeons and was known to assist wherever she could, without concern for her own comfort or safety.

“Rebecca Pennypacker Price is a hometown hero here in Phoenixville,” Dinniman said. “Her hard work, courage and sacrifice serve as an example of the vast contributions of women throughout our nation’s history.”

(Photo: Senator Andy Dinniman (left) with Joseph Crescenz (right), brother of the late Corp. Michael Crescenz.)