Carmel Slaughter Was a WWII Hero That Helped Preserve Our Freedom

Carmel Slaughter was born in Jacksonville, Florida on March 23, 1918. From the 1930 U.S. Census, we learn that Carmel’s father, also Carmel, 44, was a manufacturer of agricultural pesticides. His mother Madge, 42, had four children living at home at this time; Frances, 13, Carmel, 12, Edward, 8 and Madge, a one-year-old. The family lived at 1525 Kent Street in Orlando, Orange County, Florida.

After graduation from high school, Slaughter attended the University of Florida for two years.

On October 16, 1940, Slaughter registered for the WWII draft in Orlando, Florida. He listed his mother Madge as his next of kin. At 22 years old Carmel was working for the J Schnarr and Company with his father in Orlando. He recorded his height as six feet one inch tall and weighed 180 pounds.

Carmel then enlisted in the Army on December 30, 1940 as an Aviation Cadet. His service number was 14025935. A fine description of Slaughter’s military career is listed under STORIES in this Profile.

In 1949, both crew members’ remains were removed from Japan and returned to the United States. On May 10, 1949, the ashes of the 23 flyers were buried in a common grave at the Arlington National Cemetery with a full military ceremony. The headstone is located at section 15, grave 77.

From the U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms

“Remains were returned under WWII Dead Program and are buried in a common grave with (see list attached to QMC Form 14 for BARNHART, Owen O. Jr., to whose QMC form 14 the list is attached). 5335-CG-8. 23 remains - 1 casket.”

In addition, Slaughter’s family placed his name next to his father's on a memorial stone. This marker is located at the Evergreen Cemetery in West Carrollton, Ohio.

Missing Air Crew Records number 12055

List of crew members KIA aboard the Slicks Chick

· Pilot, Capt. Carmel Slaughter, 26, Orlando, Florida

· Co-Pilot, 2nd Lt. Dan Godsy, 21, Oklahoma

· Navigator, 1st Lt. Kenneth Swanson, 24, Illinois

· Bombardier, 1st Lt. Herbert Weiner, 22, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

· Flight Engineer, 2nd Lt. Joseph Jarosz, 24, New Jersey

· Radio Operator, S/Sgt. Nick Corbo, 25, Scotia, New York

· Radar, Sgt. Kenneth Mago, 21, Wisconsin

· Right Gunner, S/Sgt. Ralph McClellan, 24, Verona, Ohio

· Central Fire Control Gunner, S/Sgt. Robert Yonce, 19, Illinois

· Tail Gunner, Sgt. Frank Kastenmeier, 19, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

· Left Gunner, Sgt. James Melvin, Michigan

· Col. Birrell Walsh (Passenger/observer), 37, Rugby, North Dakota

Crew of B-29 Deaner Boy

· Pilot, 1st Lt. Owen Barnhart Jr., 23, Contra Costa County, California

· Co-Pilot, 2nd Lt. Donald MacAuley Morrison, Waltham, Massachusetts

· Navigator, 2nd Lt. Cornelius Kerns, 21, Norfolk, Virginia

· Bombardier, 1st Lt. Hugh Burner, 26, Islington, Massachusetts

· Flight Engineer, 2nd Lt. Harley Hazelwood, 24, Pagosa Springs, Colorado

· Radio Operator, S/Sgt. Norman Smith, 23, Baltimore, Maryland

· Radar, Sgt. James Greup, 19, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

· Central Fire Control Gunner, Sgt. George Wilbur III, 23, Iowa City, Iowa

· Left Gunner, Sgt. Harry Harz Jr., 19, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

· Right Gunner, Sgt. Donald Kissinger, 19, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

. Tail Gunner, Sgt. Harvey Fitzpatrick, 18, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey

All of these 23 names were carved on the headstone at the Arlington National Cemetery.

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This story is part of the

Stories Behind the Stars project ( www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a

national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US

WWII here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there

will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’s name and read his/her story.

Resources:

https://www.armyaircorpsmuseum.org/505th_Bombardment_Group.cfm

http://fromtheireyes.weebly.com/the-lessons/slicks-chicks-the-overview-of-a-b-29

https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/b-29/b-29-superfortress-nose-art-121-sea-bees-505th-bomb-group-42-24815/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress#New_Mariana_Islands_air_bases

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49316179

1930 & 1940 U.S. Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/103269363:6224?tid=&pid=&queryId=2b975a77f35928ab98128f1255d748aa&_phsrc=vvO8399&_phstart=successSource

U.S., World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas

U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms

U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

U.S. Army Enlistment Records WWII

B-29 Hunters of the JAAF, Osprey Publishing, Aviation Elite Units 5, By Koji Takai & Henry Sakaida

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois) 07 Jun 1942, SunPage 92

https://www.newspapers.com/image/369955777/?article=18939fdd-caeb-4a46-bb36-adac6557b466&focus=0.72819346,0.5605726,0.8435842,0.6349689&xid=3398

Carmel M Slaughter Jr