Ira Cravens was born on October 21, 1921 and was from Illinois. He served as an Artillery Officer in the 9th Armored Division and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

FROM FIND A GRAVE WILLIAMSVILLE - Ira Dale Cravens of Williamsville died at 10:25 p.m. Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at St. John's Hospital. He was born October 22, 1921, near Cornland, the son of John Fred and Lillie Erlenbush Cravens. He was an administrator with the State of Illinois for 31 years, retiring from the State Mental Health Department in 1977. He served with the Army field artillery in the European Theatre during WWII and was a retired Army Captain. Military decorations include the Silver Star, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Presidential Unit Citation. Mr. Cravens was a member of the Williamsville United Methodist Church, Riverton Lavely Lodge 786, AF&AM, Springfield Consistory, Retired Officers Association, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was a past Amvets commander, past president of the Springfield Chapter Reserve Officers Association, past president of the Williamsville Senior Citizens, past president of the Springfield Chapter of the ISEA Retirees, past president of the RSVP Advisory Council and an officer and member of several other organizations. He was founder of the North Sangamon Information Referral and Assistance Center, an all volunteer program serving senior citizens in Williamsville and surrounding communities. The Center received the Governor's Hometown Award in 1987. He was recipient of the Springfield Senior Citizens Hall of Fame award in 1988. Williamsville honored Cravens with "Dale Cravens Appreciation Day" in 1993 for his many years of volunteer service to the community. He also served on the Board of Senior Citizens of Springfield and Central Illinois. He received numerous other awards for his civic, fraternal and military activities.