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Sergeant · U.S. Army

Chris Carr

Sergeant Chris Carr, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions between October 1 and 2, 1944 near Guignola, Italy during World War II.

Sergeant Chris Carr was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions between October 1 and 2, 1944 near Guignola, Italy during World War II. At the time he was serving with Company L, 337th Infantry, 85th Infantry Division. Carr was 30 years old.

The medal was presented on October 12, 1945 — the White House, presented by Pres. Harry S. Truman. He later rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class.

Carr was born on April 6, 1914 in Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. Carr died on September 16, 1970 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 56. He is buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Records also list him as Legally changed from Christos H. Karaberis, under which name the medal was awarded.

Carr is one of 474 Medal of Honor recipients from World War II and one of 35 credited to New Hampshire.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Leading a squad of Company L, he gallantly cleared the way for his company's approach along a ridge toward its objective, the Casoni di Remagna. When his platoon was pinned down by heavy fire from enemy mortars, machine gun, machine pistols, and rifles, he climbed in advance of his squad on a maneuver around the left flank to locate and eliminate the enemy gun positions. Undeterred by deadly fire that ricocheted off the barren rocky hillside, he crept to the rear of the first machine gun and charged, firing his submachine gun. In this surprise attack he captured eight prisoners and turned them over to his squad before striking out alone for a second machine gun. Discovered in his advance and subjected to direct fire from hostile weapons, he leaped to his feet and ran forward, weaving and crouching, pouring automatic fire into the emplacement that killed four of its defenders and forced the surrender of a lone survivor. He again moved forward through heavy fire to attack a third machine gun. When close to the emplacement, he closed with a nerve-shattering shout and burst of fire. Paralyzed by his whirlwind attack, all four gunners immediately surrendered. Once more advancing aggressively in the face of a thoroughly alerted enemy, he approached a point of high ground occupied by two machine guns which were firing on his company on the slope below. Charging the first of these weapons, he killed four of the crew and captured three more. The six defenders of the adjacent position, cowed by the savagery of his assault, immediately gave up. By his one-man attack, heroically and voluntarily undertaken in the face of tremendous risks, Sgt. Carr captured five enemy machine-gun positions, killed eight Germans, took 22 prisoners, cleared the ridge leading to his company's objective, and drove a deep wedge into the enemy line, making it possible for his battalion to occupy important, commanding ground.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: World War II, Korean War.

Places

  • Born: Manchester — map
  • Died: Huntington Beach — map
  • Buried: Los Angeles National Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New Hampshire →

From the archives

Chris Carr was given the name Christos Karaberis at birth. He later chose to legally change his name to "Chris Carr. His Medal of Honor was originally awarded under his birth name, but when he legally changed his name, the U.S. Army agreed to accept the change in his military records.

Timeline

  1. April 6, 1914
    Born in Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
  2. October 1 - 2, 1944
    Act of valor — near Guignola, Italy
    Age 30. Company L, 337th Infantry, 85th Infantry Division
  3. October 12, 1945
    Medal of Honor presented
    The White House, presented by Pres. Harry S. Truman
  4. September 16, 1970
    Died in Los Angeles, California
    Age 56.
  5. Resting place
    Los Angeles National Cemetery
    Los Angeles, California

Biography

Chris Carr (born Christos H. Karaberis, April 6, 1914 – September 16, 1970) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

From the Wikipedia article “Chris Carr (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

More World War II recipients from New Hampshire

Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.