John McCracken served in the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant with the 100th Infantry Division, 375th Field Artillery Battalion during World War II. A Forward Observer, he was killed in action on November 10, 1944 by a land mine near Strasbourg, France. During the occupation of Germany, the 100th Infantry Division took over a building in Schorndorf, Germany and named it "McCracken Hall" in his honor. He was awarded the Purple heart posthumously.
