Captain Crone was the pilot of a F-86A Sabrejet fighter bomber with the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group. On 18 June 1951, while on a combat mission, his flight of four F-96s was attacked by a flight of eight MiG-15s. His aircraft was hit and crashed. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, Captain Crone was awarded the Soldiers Medal, the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.