Edward A. Carter, Jr.

Edward Allen Carter Jr.
Sergeant First Class Edward A. Carter Jr., Medal of Honor recipient
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	Chinese Nationalist Army Abraham Lincoln Brigade United States Army
Years of service	1932, 1937 - 1938, 1941 - 1949
Rank	Sergeant First Class
Unit	56th Armored Infantry Battalion, 12th Armored Division
Battles/wars	Second Sino-Japanese War Spanish Civil War World War II
Awards	Medal of Honor Bronze Star Purple Heart (3) Army Good Conduct Medal American Defense Service Medal European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal Combat Infantry Badge Presidential Unit Citation

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.

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.

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.

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.