During World War II he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in the Battle of Anzio.
[4][5] At the national (AAU) championships later that summer Cruikshank threw 160 ft 6+7⁄8 in (48.94 m) and finished as the top American;[6] however, he still only placed second to Olympic champion Pat O'Callaghan of Ireland, who was also taking part and won the title.
[9] Cruikshank set his personal discus best, 160.45 feet (48.90 m), in May 1935;[10] it was also a Rocky Mountain Conference record, but only briefly, as Hugh Cannon broke it the following week.
[9] At the 1935 AAU championships Cruikshank won the junior hammer title; in the senior competition, he threw 165 ft 6+1⁄2 in (50.45 m) and placed second to Dreyer.
[6][18] Cruikshank won his second national title in 1942 while on leave from the U.S. Army,[2] throwing 173 ft 8+1⁄2 in (52.94 m) and beating defending champion Irving Folwartshny by more than five feet.