Edward A . Carter , Jr . Edward Allen Carter , Jr . ( May 26 , 1916 – January 30 , 1963 ) was a United States Army Staff Sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during March 1945 during World War II . He was one of seven African - American soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor on January 13 , 1997 by President Bill Clinton . Early years . Carter was born in Los Angeles , California in 1916 . He was the son of missionaries , with a black American father and an East Indian mother , he grew up in India and then moved to Shanghai , China . Military service . Pre - World War II . While in Shanghai in 1932 , Carter ran away from home and joined the Chinese Nationalist Army fighting against invading Japanese during the Shanghai Incident . He eventually had to leave the Nationalist Army because he was only 15 . He eventually made his way to Europe and joined the Abraham Lincoln Brigade , which was an American volunteer unit supporting the Spanish Loyalists fighting against General Francisco Franco ' s regime during the Spanish Civil War . U . S . Army . Carter had entered the Army on September 26 , 1941 . As a result of his previous combat experience , he stood out among the other recruits . In less than a year , he had achieved the rank of staff sergeant . He was member of a unique type of organization — the Seventh Army Infantry Company Number 1 ( Provisional ) , 56th Armored Infantry Battalion , 12th Armored Division near Speyer , Germany . The provisional companies generally were established during , and in the wake of , the Battle of the Bulge , which took place during the winter of 1944 - 1945 . Black support and combat - support soldiers , and some whites , were allowed to volunteer for combat duty and were given training in small - unit tactics . Formed into provisional units , they were used to augment depleted divisions . On March 23 , 1945 , Carter , a 28 - year - old infantry staff sergeant , heroically acted when the tank on which he was riding was hit by bazooka fire . Dismounted , Carter led three soldiers across an open field . In the process , two of the men were killed and the other seriously wounded . Carter continued alone and was wounded five times before being forced to take cover . Eight German soldiers tried to capture him , but he killed six and captured the remaining two . He used the two captured Germans as a shield from enemy fire as he recrossed the field . His prisoners provided valuable information on enemy - troop disposition for his unit . Carter was refused re - enlistment in Army in 1949 because of unfounded allegations that , as a result of his affiliation with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and a Welcome Home Joe Dinner , he had communist contacts and allegiances . He died of lung cancer on January 30 , 1963 , in the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles , California . Awards and honors . Awards and decorations . Carter has been awarded the following : Medal of Honor ( as of 1999 ) ; Bronze Star ; Purple Heart ; Army Good Conduct Medal ; American Defense Service Medal ; European - African - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal ; World War II Victory Medal ; Combat Infantryman Badge . Medal of Honor citation . The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to STAFF SERGEANT EDWARD A . CARTER , JR . UNITED STATES ARMY For service as set forth in the following CITATION : For extraordinary heroism on March 23 , 1945 , near Speyer , Germany . When the tank he was riding received heavy bazooka and small arms fire , Sgt . Carter voluntarily attempted to lead a three - man group across an open field . Two of his men were killed and the third seriously wounded . Continuing on alone , he was wounded five times and finally was forced to take cover . As eight enemy riflemen attempted to capture him , Sgt . Carter killed six of them and captured the remaining two . He then crossed the field , using as a shield his two prisoners from whom he obtained valuable information concerning the disposition of enemy troops . Honors . MV Ssg Edward A . Carter , Jr . , named in honor of the Medal of Honor recipient , is a container ship in the United States Navy Military Sealift Command , one of 36 ships that are a part of the Prepositioning Program .