Joe Howard McCraw, Jr.

This is a sad day for all of us that knew joe. I KNEW HIM AS my brother-in -law.in the year1960 MY DAUGHTER JULIE ANN AND I WENT TO LIVE WITH THEM FOR ABOUT 3 OR FOUR MO. I WAS EXPECTING FOR OUR SON THOMAS LEONARD THAT WAS BORN SEP.25TH. OF THAT YR. THEY WERE VERY KIND TO ME AND TREATED US LIKE FAMILY. I TREASURE IN MY MEMORIES OF THAT TIME SPENT WITH THE MCCRAW FAMILY. WISH I COULD RELIVE THAT TIME. I CAN IN MY MEMORIES. WILL SEE YOU AGAIN JOE ALONG WITH MY BEAUTIFULL SISTER LILLIE IN HEAVEN SOME SWEET DAY. LOVE TO ALL MY DEAR FAMILY. AUNT PHYLLIS AND UNCLE DAVID GHEEN.

I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of PAIC McCraw. Though we never met, I have deep respect for the legacy of service they left behind in defending our country. As a new generation of Border Patrol agents, we stand on the foundation built by their dedication, courage, and sacrifice. Their commitment has shaped the future of our nation´s security and continues to inspire us daily.

Please know that my thoughts are with you during this difficult time. The impact of PAIC's McCraw's work will resonate for years to come, and their legacy will not be forgotten. May you find comfort in the pride of knowing they served with honor, and in the knowledge that their efforts live on through all who follow in their footsteps.

I met Mr. McCraw only once and it was years ago in Washington state. He is considered to be one of the best and I agree. I did get to work with his son for many years. The Apple didn´t fall far from the tree another one of the best the patrol had. As Mr. Bennett Elliott (who I worked with in Tx). Said
R.I.P Sir !!!
USBP 377

Eyes of God. I rode with Joe McCraw the blistering hot day he and pilot Dave Roberson tracked down and saved three "walkers" crossing the No Man´s Land of the Barry M. Goldwater Range. Dave landed his Cessna in a salvage yard air strip between the I-8 frontage road and Tacna Station.

We headed for the Lower Drag. It paralleled the border north of Mexico´s Highway 2. Joe crept the vehicle along with his head out the window cutting sign for foot prints and brush outs. Dave did the same droning overhead. We followed a set prints toward the horizon through Big Pass and headed toward the granite teeth of the Mohawk Mountains. The prints were zigzagging toward Game Tanks. It sat in a small pass in the Mohawks used by bighorn sheep and walkers headed for Mohawk Rest Area and Dateland. The desert beyond was as off the grid as anyone could be in the Goldwater Range. Dave showed me the bones on an earlier reconn. From the air, they looked like rock salt on the black malpais.

Joe got of the vehicle, followed the prints, and stooped down. They were a day or two old and they went off the grid.

We backtracked, Joe whet his whistle from the coffee thermos,, and drove into a mirage of desert called Rat Gap. Dave squawked from the radio and Joe followed the directions. We stopped at a dilapidated palo verde tree. A man and two boys were laying in what little shade it offered. They looked like they´d seen an angel. Joe helped them to their feet, they had two inches of putrid liquid in gallon. It was mid afternoon and it was still 10 miles to Dateland. They never would have made it out alive. There was no fanfare. It was another day in the desert that Joe and Dave loved, and making sure they got out alive..

It was a pleasure to work with Joe on the DART Team and on periodic operations to Wellton, Mohawk and Hyder. Session 120.

RIP Sir !!
USBP 223

I am thankful to know Joe, as he and Lillie both were such servants of the Lord when Rick and I met him at Foothills SBC
My sincere condolences to friends and family now,and I look forward to spending eternity with them one day.