Rank and Name, Technical Sergeant James William Carter.
Unit/Placed in, 870th Engineer Battalion, Aviation, United States Army.
Engineer Aviation Battalions
Created in 1939, Engineer Aviation Battalions (EABs), were self-contained units which became the core of World War II aviation engineering efforts. These skilled construction and engineering troops constructed, repaired, camouflaged, and if necessary, defended small airfields. Well-equipped and well-manned with about 800 enlisted men each, twelve EABs were formed by the time of Pearl Harbor and sent to the Philippines, Southwest Pacific, and the Aleutian Islands.
James is born approx. on 1909 in Richmond, Virginia.
Spouse, Lilian Carter.
James enlisted the service in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with service number # 33495732.
James was KIA on the on the Philippine Island of Luzon on 23 April 1945, he is honored with a Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
James is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.
Thanks to, https://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2014/02/big-jim-carter-awarded-purple-heart-in.html
Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com ww2-europe.com
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano
Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
WW2 Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Medals Forum, https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
Tank Destroyers, http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/
WordPress en/of Wooncommerce oplossingen, https://www.siteklusjes.nl/
Military Recovery, https://www.dpaa.mil/
James Walker “Big Jim” Carter was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1912 and moved to Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1941. Working as a contractor, Carter enlisted in the United States Army on January 6, 1943. After training at Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, Missouri, and Tallahassee, Florida, Carter shipped out with his unit, the 870th Engineer Aviation Battalion, for the Pacific. At this stage of the war, Carter had risen to the rank of Technical Sergeant. An Engineer Aviation Battalion’s job was to build, repair, camouflage and, if necessary, defend airdromes and airfields. Since there was little in the way of overall command of these units, it seems they may have performed any duties needed by the local commander. Carter had been offered a transfer to Military Police training while at Jefferson Barracks but opted to stay with his friend in the 870th.
On April 23, 1945, Tech Sgt. Carter was killed on the Philippine Island of Luzon. His veteran card, in the collection of the Hagen History Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, states: “He killed 5 (Japanese) before one got him.” Carter is buried in the Manila American Cemetery in The Philippines.
Carter’s veteran card, as well as newspaper clippings in this file, state he was the second African American soldier from Erie to be killed in World War II, and that he was the “Only Negro killed in action from Erie. One other killed accidentally.” There is the issue of another Erie soldier, “Pvt. R. Holt” who may not be counted as an Erie soldier because he was living in Ohio when he entered the service. Holt, killed in North Africa in July 1943 while serving in the 904th Air Base Security Battalion, is buried in Erie’s Lakeside Cemetery. According to research shared by World War II historian Doug Squeglia, Holt is likely Erie’s first African American soldier to die in the war, but he is not listed on Erie’s list of WW II dead and has no veteran’s card in the archives of the Hagen History Center because he was not living in Erie when he entered the service.
Regardless, all of these servicemen and thousands and thousands of others gave their lives for their country, as they had been doing from the American Revolution to today. If you wish to view the WW II veteran card collection at the Hagen History Center to look someone up, call our Library & Archives Department at 814-454-1813 to set up an appointment.
Special thanks on this blog goes to Doug Squeglia and Bill Welch.
