Major General Marion Carl, USMC

WWII United States Marine Corps Ace, 1942, Navy Test Pilot, Marine Corps Commander: posthumous

One of the United States’ most decorated aviators, Marion Carl flew an F-4 Wildcat at Guadalcanal on August 24, 1942, encountering a Japanese force of bombers and fighters. Credited with 11.5 kills by
the end of the Guadalcanal battle, Carl later said, these kills “made me an ace, the first in Marine Corps history, but that thought didn’t occur to me at the time - we were far too busy and more concerned
with our losses.” After World War II, Carl became a U.S. Navy test pilot, setting a world speed record of 651 miles per hour on August 25, 1947. Chuck Yeager broke the record with Mach 1 (700 mph) later that year. In 1953, Carl set the world altitude record of 83,235 feet, and two years later, he flew U-2 hotoreconnaissance missions over China. Returning to combat during the Vietnam war, Major General Marion Carl commanded the 2nd Marine Air Wing. Retiring in 1973 with a record of 18.5 aerial victories, Carl was among the first Marines to fly a helicopter and the first Marine to land a jet on an aircraft carrier. He was also the first military advisor to wear a full pressure suit. During his career he logged 13,000 flying hours in aircraft from biplanes, seaplanes and helicopters to jet and rocket powered experimental models. Awarded the Navy Cross with two Gold Stars, Legion of Merit with three Gold Stars, Distinguished Flying Cross with four Gold Stars, and Air Medal with thirteen Gold Stars, Carl died while protecting his wife from an intruder in their home on June 28, 1998.

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