He was assigned to be a gunner onboard a CH53D helicopter based onboard the USS TRIPOLI (LPH 10)

On the morning of July 11, 1972, the helicopter to which Crody was assigned launched from the USS TRIPOLI to participate in combat operations in support of operation LAM SON 72 (Phase II) in Vietnam.

LAM SON 719 had been a large offensive operation against NVA communications lines in Laos in the region adjacent to the two northern provinces of South Vietnam. The operation was a raid in which ARVN troops drove west from Khe Sanh on Route 9, cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail, seized Tchepone, some 25 miles away, and then returned to Vietnam. The ARVN provided and commanded the ground forces, while U.S. Army and Air Force furnished aviation airlift and supporting firepower.

Losses were heavy. The ARVN suffered some 9,000 casualties, almost 50% of their force. U.S. forces incurred some 1,462 casualties. Aviation units lost 168 helicopters and another 618 were damaged. Fifty-five aircrewmen were killed in action, 178 were wounded and 34 were missing in action. There were 19,360 known enemy casualties for the entire operation lasting until April 6, 1971.

Phase II of LAM SON included inserting South Vietnamese marines behind enemy lines near communist-occupied Quang Tri City, Republic of Vietnam. This was the mission of Crody's helicopter.

While approaching the drop zone, the helicopter was struck by a heat-seeking SA-7 missile in the starboard engine. The aircraft immediately burst into flames and crashlanded moments later. Several aboard received injuries and were taken back to the TRIPOLI for treatment. The bodies of Crody and another crewman, SSGT Jerry W. Hendrix, could not be recovered because of the intense heat of the burning aircraft.

Crody and Hendrix are listed with honor among the missing because their remains were not returned home. Witnesses believed they were both dead in the aircraft. For many others of the missing, however, clear-cut answers cannot be had. Many were alive and in radio contact with would-be rescuers when they were last heard from. Others were photographed in captivity, only to disappear.

Since the war ended, the Defense Department has received over 10,000 reports relating to the men still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, yet concludes that no actionable evidence has been received that would indicate Americans are still alive in Southeast Asia. A recent Senate investigation indicates that most of these reports were dismissed without just cause, and that there is every indication that Americans remained in captivity far after the war ended, and may be alive today.

It's time we learned the truth about our missing and brought them home?