Carter, Edward A., 1916-1963

Edward A. Carter (b. May 26, 1916, Los Angeles, CA-d. Jan. 30, 1963, Los Angeles, CA) was born in Los Angeles to missionary parents, and raised in Shanghai, China. As a teenager he joined the Chinese Nationalist Army to fight the Japanese, winning rapid advancement. He later joined the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and served in Spain, beginning in June 1937. Carter enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 1941 and was shipped overseas in November 1944. In 1945, while stationed in Germany, Carter distinguished himself in battle, suffering multiple bullet wounds. His heroic actions went unheralded by the U.S. Army for many years, due largely to discrimination against African Americans. Suspicion of Carter’s political background led the Army to reject his effort to re-enlist in 1949. Carter died on January 30, 1963. More than three decades after his death, the Army and the U.S. government finally recognized Carter’s bravery with a Congress Medal of Honor. The U.S. also named a ship after Carter, and his body was re-interred at Arlington National Cemetery in 1997.

From the guide to the Edward Carter Papers, Bulk, 1942-1999, 1941-2001, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)