History
Explore the rich heritage of the VA Philadelphia Healthcare System.
Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center
On December 16, 2014, the Philadelphia VA Medical Center was officially renamed the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, paying tribute to the only Vietnam-era service member from the Philadelphia area to receive the Medal of Honor. Congress passed legislation renaming the facility, and President Barack Obama signed it into law.
Born in Philadelphia in January 1949, Michael J. Crescenz grew up in the West Oak Lane section of the city. In February 1968, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. A few months later, he shipped out to Vietnam. On November 20, 1968, an entrenched enemy force ambushed Crescenz’s unit and pinned them down. With extraordinary bravery, 19-year-old Crescenz charged the enemy position and single-handedly took out three machine gun bunkers before he was killed. His sacrifice saved many lives.
Crescenz received the Medal of Honor and a posthumous promotion to the rank of corporal. President Richard M. Nixon presented Crescenz’s Medal of Honor to his parents at a White House ceremony on April 7, 1970. Crescenz’s parents asked to have him buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham Township, 13 miles north of Philadelphia. In 2008, after his parents died, Crescenz’s remains were moved to Arlington National Cemetery.
Today, Philadelphia health care serves nearly 58,000 Veterans living in Philadelphia and a 7-county area of southeastern Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey.