What to know about the Medal of Honor recipients that made Pueblo the 'Home of Heroes'

While President Dwight D. Eisenhower placed the Medal of Honor around Raymond G. "Jerry" Murphy's neck, the 34th U.S. president drew attention to the fact that Murphy was the third Medal of Honor recipient from Pueblo.

"What is it … something in the water out there in Pueblo? All you guys turn out to be heroes!" Eisenhower remarked to Murphy at a White House ceremony on Oct. 27, 1953.

Less than 16 years later, Drew D. Dix became the fourth living Medal of Honor Recipient to come from Pueblo.

Years after that, Murphy, Dix, William J. Crawford and Carl L. Sitter were all living Medal of Honor recipients when Rep. Scott McInnis' declaration of Pueblo as "The Home of Heroes" was recognized by Congress on July 1, 1993, according to the Congressional Record .

"It's pretty unique that you'd have four from one small community... There weren't any communities at that time that had four living," said Brad Padula, who co-founded the Center for American Values with Dix and directed the Emmy-winning documentary "Beyond the Medal of Honor."

The nickname Home of Heroes caught on quickly in July 1993, as evidenced by then-President Bill Clinton, former President Ronald Reagan, Sen. Hank Brown and Colorado Lt. Gov. Mike Callihan using the moniker in letters penned to Pueblo. These letters are now on display at the Center for American Values, 101 S. Main St.

Here's what to know about the four Medal of Honor recipients who gave Pueblo its Home of Heroes moniker.

William J. Crawford: Army hero, Medal recipient, Air Force janitor?

In 1976, U.S. Air Force Academy cadet James Moschgat was reading about the allied campaign in Italy during World War II when he encountered a familiar name — the name of his squadron janitor Bill Crawford.

Crawford graduated from Central High School in 1936 and was drafted to fight in World War II in 1942, according to Army enlistment records. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor near Altavilla, Italy, on Sept. 13, 1943.

Private Crawford braved aggressive machine gun fire and singlehandedly destroyed three German machine gun emplacements to advance his fellow Company I soldiers past the enemy's line of defense. Crawford was a prisoner of war erroneously presumed dead when a Medal of Honor was presented to his father in 1944.

On May 30, 1984, a 66-year-old Crawford formally received the Medal of Honor from President Reagan at a U.S. Air Force Academy commencement ceremony. Crawford lived to be 81 and is buried in the academy's cemetery despite his enlistment in the Army.

Carl L. Sitter was a valiant leader in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir

Carl Sitter enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after graduating from Central High School in 1940. He ascended to the rank of colonel before his 1970 retirement from active duty.

During World War II, Sitter earned a Silver Star Medal in Guam. He later fought in the Korean War battles of Inchon and Chosin Reservoir. Sitter's gallantry in the frigid Battle of Chosin Reservoir on Nov. 29, 1950 led to him receiving the Medal of Honor.

Sitter led a company of first marines up a steep, snowy hill south of the reservoir. Enemy counterattacks broke through the Marines' line of defense, resulting in intense hand-to-hand combat. Sitter's arms, chest and face were wounded by grenade fragments, but the Pueblo-raised Marine and his company would prevail.

Shortly before his death at the age of 77, Sitter was working to receive a seminary degree to and become a minister for elderly and home bound individuals, according to the "Beyond the Medal of Honor" website.

Raymond G. 'Jerry' Murphy put his life on the line to rescue his fellow Marines

Twenty-six months after Sitter fought off enemy soldiers in the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, another Marine raised on Pueblo water would risk his life in the Korean War to save others.

Second Lt. Raymond “Jerry” Murphy was a standout athlete at Pueblo Catholic High School that went on to play college football at Fort Lewis College. While carrying a stretcher, he was wounded by mortar shell on Feb. 3, 1953.

Despite being wounded, he refused medical attention and instead made several trips up Ungok Hill to carry injured fellow Marines to safety. The 23-year-old made his trips through heavy enemy fire and was wounded a second time, but he did not seek medical care until all Marines were recovered from the hill.

The Raymond G. Murphy Department of Veterans Affairs in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was named in his honor following his death in 2007. However, Pueblo residents are likely more familiar with Jerry Murphy Road that runs through the city’s Belmont and University Park neighborhoods.

Drew D. Dix: Tet Offensive hero and Pueblo's last surviving recipient

Drew Dix is the only living member of the Home of Heroes four, but he keeps the memories of Crawford, Sitter and Murphy alive through his work with the Center for American Values.

Dix was born in West Point, New York. He joined the ROTC program at Pueblo Centennial High School and hoped to join the Army like his father Harold. He enlisted after high school graduation before starting his work with the Army’s Special Forces at age 21.

On January 31, 1968, a 23-year-old Dix was working in South Vietnam as a CIA special forces advisor. Enemy Vietcong forces had just launched the historic Tet Offensive invasion during what was supposed to be a holiday cease-fire.

Dix’s fearlessness in responding to Tet Offensive attacks on the Chau Doc Province led to the rescue of an American nurse, eight civilians, a young girl, two Filipino workers and the deputy province chief’s family. His actions also resulted the capture of a high-ranking enemy official and 19 other prisoners.

Other Medal of Honor recipients with Pueblo ties

The term "Home of Heroes" refers specifically to Crawford, Sitter, Murphy and Dix because they were raised in Pueblo, attended Pueblo high schools and were living as Medal of Honor recipients at the same point in time, Padula told the Chieftain.

While not considered part of the Pueblo four, Medal of Honor recipient Warren C. Dockum is buried at Roselawn Cemetery in Blende. The Union Army soldier from Clinton County, New York, captured the Confederate Savannah Guards' flag on April 6, 1865. He moved to the Turkey Creek area near Pueblo in 1893.

Clinton Romesha , a four-year Pueblo resident, received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama in 2013. During a day-long battle in Afghanistan, Romesha lead comrades to suppress a 300-fighter enemy attack on Oct. 3, 2009.

Veteran gravesites: 'Honor our heroes': Veteran gravesite mapping project taking place at Roselawn Cemetery

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: What to know about the Medal of Honor recipients that made Pueblo the 'Home of Heroes'