b. 11/05/1917 St Maries, Idaho. d. 02/02/1956 Boise, Idaho.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 16-19/02/1945 Corregidor, Philippines.
Lloyd G McCarter MOH
World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. Born in St. Maria‘s, Idaho, he served as a Private in the 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, US Army, While serving as a scout at Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on February 16, 1945, Private McCarter crossed 30 yards of open ground under enemy fire and silenced an enemy machinegun with hand grenades. On February 18, he killed 6 Japanese snipers and when a large force attempted to bypass his company that night, he voluntarily moved to an exposed area and opened fire. When the enemy attacked his position on the morning of February 19, he continued to bear the brunt of the attack and continued to inflict heavy casualties after being wounded. After being relieved, he already killed more than 30 of the enemy and refused to evacuate until he had pointed out immediate objectives for the counter attack. For extreme bravery in the face of the enemy he was presented with the Medal of Honor by President Harry S Truman on August 23, 1945 at The White House.
He was invalided out of the Army due to the wounds he received at Corregidor. He later married, but tragedy struck soon afterwards, when his new wife died of cancer. Sadly, Lloyd never recovered from her death, and took his own life on February 2, 1956 aged just 38.
MOH CITATION:
He was a scout with the regiment which seized the fortress of Corregidor, Philippine Islands. Shortly after the initial parachute assault on 16 February 1945, he crossed 30 yards of open ground under intense enemy fire, and at point-blank range silenced a machine gun with hand grenades. On the afternoon of 18 February he killed six snipers. That evening, when a large force attempted to bypass his company, he voluntarily moved to an exposed area and opened fire. The enemy attacked his position repeatedly throughout the night and was each time repulsed. By two o’clock in the morning, all the men about him had been wounded; but shouting encouragement to his comrades and defiance at the enemy, he continued to bear the brunt of the attack, fearlessly exposing himself to locate enemy soldiers and then pouring heavy fire on them. He repeatedly crawled back to the American line to secure more ammunition. When his submachine gun would no longer operate, he seized an automatic rifle and continued to inflict heavy casualties. This weapon, in turn, became too hot to use and, discarding it, he continued with an M1 rifle. At dawn the enemy attacked with renewed intensity. Completely exposing himself to hostile fire, he stood erect to locate the most dangerous enemy positions. He was seriously wounded; but, though he had already killed more than 30 of the enemy, he refused to evacuate until he had pointed out immediate objectives for attack. Through his sustained and outstanding heroism in the face of grave and obvious danger, Pvt. McCarter made outstanding contributions to the success of his company and the recapture of Corregidor.
BURIAL LOCATION: WOODLAWN CEMETERY, ST MARIES, IDAHO.
BLOCK 23, LOT 7, GRAVE 6, ORIGINAL EDITION.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: FAMILY.
