Lieutenant Robert Lee Carr

Robert Lee Carr was born to Mr. and Mrs. Wiley War Carr on October 4, 1921 in Tularosa, NM. He graduated from Tularosa HS in 1936 and, following his only sibling brother Wiley Carr Jr., enrolled at NMAMC the following fall and completed three years in the College of Engineering. While enrolled he was President of his sophomore class. In May 1942 he enlisted in the USAAF and in August 1943 received his pilot wings at Aloe AAF in Victoria TX. He subsequently went on to be trained as a P 51 Mustang fighter pilot. He was assigned to the 78th Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group and shipped into the Pacific Theater in December 1944. In January 1945 the 78th FS landed on Iwo Jima while the fighting for the island was still underway. On April 7th, planes from the 78th were the first land based fighters to fly over Japan. Lt Carr was on that mission. On July 9, 1945, Lt Robert Lee Carr was shot down in flames while making a strafing run over Hykuragahara Air Field in Japan. His remains were initially buried in Yokahama and then reinterred at Ft Bliss National Cemetery. He was 23 years of age at the time of his death.