U.S. MINT WORLD WAR II NAVY BRONZE STAR
Carl Anian Carlson Jr.
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Commander Carl Anian Carlson Jr.
United States Navy Commander Carl Anian Carlson Jr. (service #81852) was born April 7th 1910 in Youngstown, Ohio.
Carlson enlisted in the Navy in deep sea diving Aug. 18th 1938 and served on the ill fated Cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis, he rose quickly through the ranks to Chief Gunners Mate.
CGM Carlson was serving on the Minesweeper/Submarine Tender U.S.S. Pigeon with Submarine Squadron 20, in the Philippines Islands when the Japanese invaded. The Pigeon & it’s crew fought valiantly for days at the island fortress of Corregidor while being under constant enemy attack on shore during the day and onboard the Pigeon at night. The Gunners on the Pigeon scored 4 aerial victories against Japanese planes in the Corregidor channel before she was hit & sunk by a Japanese dive bomber on May 4th 1942. The bomb ripped through her starboard quarter & she sank in eight minutes, in less than 50ft of water. The Pigeon was the first U.S. Navy ship to be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, which she was awarded twice.
Chief Gunner Carlson & the crew of the Pigeon remained on shore fighting as members of the Corregidor Beach Defense May 5th & 6th 1942. Most of the crew was captured by Japanese forces, which in many cases was a fate worse than death. Approximately 16 crew members of the Pigeon were killed in action during the fighting on Corregidor, or Japanese Prisoner of War camps.
The Chief Gunner survived & was detained as a Prisoner of War at Shinjuku Tokyo Bay Area, 35-140 P.O.W. camp for 40 months. He was awarded this Bronze Star w/ Combat “V” for actions on Corregidor & the Purple Heart Medal for being wounded 4 times in the Philippines in 1942. CGM Carlson was liberated and returned to the United States. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant J.G. In 1946 and continued his career in the navy serving on the Essex Class Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Valley Forge & at the Naval Ammunition Depot, Mare Island, CA until he Retired in Oct. 1957 as a Captain.
Mr. Carlson served as an active member & President of the Retired Officers Association on Mare Island. He was also a longtime member of the Vallejo Elks Lodge #559.
United States Navy Commander Carl Anian Carlson Jr. passed away March 29th 2000 in Fairfield, CA at 89 years old. His services were held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Vaca Hills Chapel. He is buried at the Arroyo Grande Cemetery, Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, California.
Carlson enlisted in the Navy in deep sea diving Aug. 18th 1938 and served on the ill fated Cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis, he rose quickly through the ranks to Chief Gunners Mate.
CGM Carlson was serving on the Minesweeper/Submarine Tender U.S.S. Pigeon with Submarine Squadron 20, in the Philippines Islands when the Japanese invaded. The Pigeon & it’s crew fought valiantly for days at the island fortress of Corregidor while being under constant enemy attack on shore during the day and onboard the Pigeon at night. The Gunners on the Pigeon scored 4 aerial victories against Japanese planes in the Corregidor channel before she was hit & sunk by a Japanese dive bomber on May 4th 1942. The bomb ripped through her starboard quarter & she sank in eight minutes, in less than 50ft of water. The Pigeon was the first U.S. Navy ship to be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, which she was awarded twice.
Chief Gunner Carlson & the crew of the Pigeon remained on shore fighting as members of the Corregidor Beach Defense May 5th & 6th 1942. Most of the crew was captured by Japanese forces, which in many cases was a fate worse than death. Approximately 16 crew members of the Pigeon were killed in action during the fighting on Corregidor, or Japanese Prisoner of War camps.
The Chief Gunner survived & was detained as a Prisoner of War at Shinjuku Tokyo Bay Area, 35-140 P.O.W. camp for 40 months. He was awarded this Bronze Star w/ Combat “V” for actions on Corregidor & the Purple Heart Medal for being wounded 4 times in the Philippines in 1942. CGM Carlson was liberated and returned to the United States. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant J.G. In 1946 and continued his career in the navy serving on the Essex Class Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Valley Forge & at the Naval Ammunition Depot, Mare Island, CA until he Retired in Oct. 1957 as a Captain.
Mr. Carlson served as an active member & President of the Retired Officers Association on Mare Island. He was also a longtime member of the Vallejo Elks Lodge #559.
United States Navy Commander Carl Anian Carlson Jr. passed away March 29th 2000 in Fairfield, CA at 89 years old. His services were held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Vaca Hills Chapel. He is buried at the Arroyo Grande Cemetery, Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, California.
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During a bombing attack on Corregidor, the Pigeon’s gunners blasted away at three twin-engined aircraft winging over the eastern end of the island. One exploded between Manja Island light and Corregidor, and the other two crashed just beyond the minefield. Pigeon scored again the following day when an enemy observation plane made the mistake of passing overhead, then turned back for a closer look. Shells from Pigeon ripped into the enemy aircraft which sideslipped, lost altitude, and headed out to sea. After the fall of Bataan, Pigeon's crew spent the days on shore and returned to their ship for night operations that included dumping Philippine currency in the channel south of Corregidor. She continued to serve until the afternoon of 4 May, when a bomb from a dive bomber exploded on her starboard quarter. She sank in eight minutes but her crew was on shore.
