Jack Leo Carlson, 24, joined the US Army Air Corps on March 15, 1941 as an Aviation Cadet and trained at the Allan Hancock School of Aeronautics in Santa Maria, California, at Coral Gables, Florida & at Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama. He was given navigational training at the Miami, Florida school operated by the Army by Pan-American Airways. He graduated as an Aerial Navigator in October, 1941.

On December 6, 1941, his 88th Recon group was to fly B-17s from Hamilton Field, California to Hickam Field, Hawaii. The pilot that day was Lt. Frank Bostrom in a B-17E, #41-2416. They roared into Oahu after a 13 hour flight to find it under attack, with Pearl Harbor and Honolulu in flames. Bostrom tried to keep the plane in the clouds because they only had 45 caliber pistols to shoot with. Two Jap fighters came in close with guns blazing. A number of hits were taken in the tail and wings. The fuel gauges read empty. By the grace of God they were able to land the B-17 safely at the Kahuka Golf Links.

For two months they served in Hawaii, flying long reconnaissance missions daily.

Carlson was assigned to Captain William Lewis’ squadron and became the squadron navigator in January of 1942. They were transferred from Hickam Field, Honolulu to Australia where they were assigned to duty with a Flying Fortress squadron. They were the first outfit to fly the southern route to Australia, stopping in the Fiji Islands for 2 weeks. Carlson received commission as a 2nd Lieutenant at Townsville, Australia. Their first war job was to protect the Pacific lifeline. They flew by day and worked by night on maintenance, briefing & bomb-loading. They were so short on manpower and equipment that they had to tear down one bomber for spare parts for the others.

Losing 65 percent of its original strength in battles, crashes, and prison camps, the group flew for the first two months without adequate protection on the ground or in the air, and inadequate bases for supplies.

During that time they carried out important bombing missions and later turned to reconnaissance and emergency bombings and dog fights. Despite handicaps the valiant Kangaroos gave the Navy 2 weeks advance notice of the Jap fleet’s massing in Rabaul Harbor and won commendation from the Navy for the excellent reconnaissance work as well as for the part they played in the battle, which led to the May 1942 Coral Sea victory. Lieutenant Carlson was awarded a Silver Star for gallantry in action during the first American bombing raid on Rabaul.

In May of 1942 the 435th Bomb Squad was organized & became the “Kangaroo 435th” squadron of the famous 19th Heavy Bombardment Group, USAAF which battled the Japanese for more than a year in the South Pacific. Hopping ‘kangaroo-like’ over the islands of the southwest Pacific, in search of the enemy since Pearl Harbor had been the special task of the 19th Bomb Group. The men of the 22nd Bomb Group & 88th Recon had been together since 12-8-1941. The 435th’s war record for a full year of combat in the South Pacific has gone down in history as the most decorated outfit in the US Army. They spotted the Jap fleet two weeks before the Coral Sea Battle, took daily pictures of Guadalcanal before the American Marine’s invasion & tipped off General MacArthur before every Jap invasion of New Guinea. At no time were the Japs able to make a surprise landing on New Guinea because of the Kangaroo’s vigilance.The Kangaroo bombardiers sank four Jap cruisers, two destroyers, two transports, damaged 8 more freighters and blasted enemy ground installations, docks and warehouses. The Kangaroo gunners bagged 38 Jap planes in air battles and downed a probable total of 66 more. Bombs smashed 38 additional planes on the ground. They flew an equivalent 388 times around the globe without fighter plane protection. The Kangaroos were the first to mount movie cameras in the bombers gun positions, thus getting films for gunnery training, aircraft identification & verifying enemy planes destroyed.

In March 1942 First Lt. Jack Carlson’s (intelligence officer) squadron, piloted by Major William Lewis, Jr. , evacuated General Douglas MacArthur’s staff from the Jap-held Philippines to Australia for which Carlson received the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement. The Oak Leaf Cluster to the Distinguished Flying Cross was presented to him for action when he carried the Philippines President, Manuel Quezon , to safety a week later. He was navigator on both these flights.

In January 1943, the unit was returned to the US and became an operational training unit for replacement B-17 personnel at Pyote Army Air Field in Texas. The 19th Bomb group returned to Texas directly from combat in the Pacific to the “Rattlesnake Bomber Base” to provide training to those not combat-tried. In an impressive ceremony on Friday, Feb. 12, the group received the 19th groups’ exclusive Four-in-One battle Ribbon indicating participation in the four major phases of the war in the Pacific. Lieutenant Carlson also received a Presidential Citation with the 19th Bomb Group and two Oak Leaf Clusters. The Bomb Group received 4 citations from December 7, 1941 to October, 1942. Carlson was also awarded the Air Medal for the first 100 hours of combat flying and participation in 25 combat missions from February 22 til May 15, 1942.

In February 1943 At the Army Air Base in Casper, Wyoming, , ten members of the “Kangaroo 435th” squadron of the now famous 19th Bombardment Group were cited at it’s final ceremonies by Major General Robert Olds, Commander of the 2nd Air Force, for outstanding achievements. Major William Lewis, Jr. , commander, headed the 10 men reporting at the base. Each man was decorated with a blue bar framed in a gold laurel band which each member was entitled to wear because the Group has been cited at least twice. First Lieutenant Jack Carlson was intelligence officer & also took part in the MacArthur/Quezon evacuation.

The 19th Group men went into training schools all over the country to teach lessons based on experience. Jack Carlson immediately attained the rank of Captain. He finished his service in training groups at Rapid City, SD, Boise, Idaho, Second Air Force Headquarters in Colorado Springs, Co., and the 21st Wing Headquarters at Topeka, KS. August 1945 was the end of the war in the Pacific. Jack Carlson received his discharge as a Major under the point system. He had 118 points.

In July 1943, The Dallas Historical Society requested data regarding Jack Carlson, ‘a Texas decorated for conspicuous service in the present war” so that it might be placed in the Hall of State in Dallas. It exists there today as record A43122 in the Texans Decorated Collection.

Jack Carlson (1917)