[Marion E. Carl oral history interview]

Fighter ace Marion E. Carl discusses his military service with the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in the Pacific Theater with Marine Fighting Squadron 221 (VMF-221) and Marine Fighting Squadron 223 (VMF-223). Topics discussed include his personal background, his combat missions on Midway and Guadalcanal, and his thoughts on various aircraft. He also touches briefly on his postwar military career.

Marion E. Carl was born on November 1, 1915 in Hubbard, Oregon. Graduating from Oregon State University in 1938 with a degree in aeronautical engineering, he served briefly with the United States Army Corps of Engineers before resigning his commission to join the United States Marine Corps. In 1942, Carl was one of the few pilots of Marine Fighting Squadron 221 (VMF-221) to survive the Battle of Midway. Afterwards, he was deployed with Marine Fighting Squadron 223 (VMF-223) to Guadalcanal, where he became the first Marine fighter ace. Carl remained in the military after World War II, serving as a Navy test pilot for various jet aircraft and commanding the 2nd Marine Air Wing during the Vietnam War. Carl retired as a major general in 1973. In 1998, he was killed in his home in Oregon while defending his wife from a robber.

Biographical information courtesy of: Boyce, Ward J., ed., American fighter aces album. Mesa, Ariz: American Fighter Aces Association, 1996.