James E. Carter, Jr.

James Earl Carter, Jr., entered the Naval Academy in 1943, and because of the war his class was accelerated so he graduated in three years. During training he learned to fly seaplanes and became expert at recognizing allied and enemy planes and ships. His wartime service was limited to training cruises in the Caribbean, where he learned everything from naval strategy to holystoning wooden decks. In 1944, as a midshipman on his first cruise aboard the battleship USS NEW YORK, he manned a battle station at a 40mm anti-aircraft battery. He was at sea in the North Atlantic when the atomic bombs fell on Japan, forcing the end of the war.

Fredericksburg, Texas · United States