Alumni Hall of Fame
Military Service to Country (2024)

Carter E. Sweigart was a member of the St. Marys Memorial High School Class of 1937. Valedictorian of his graduating class, Carter worked as a buffer at the St. Marys Goodyear plant before entering the U.S. Army Air Corps on November 7, 1942, at Toledo, Ohio. He completed basic training, and was selected to train further as a Radio Operator at a special school in Chicago, Illinois, where he finished in the top ten of his class. He was assigned to the 5th Air Force, 317th Transport Carrier Group (TCG), 40th Transport Carrier Squadron where he served as a Radio Operator. The Radio Operator monitored the flight plan, logged all radio events, enabled the pilot to broadcast to other planes in the formation, as well as recording when, where, and how many parachutes were seen when crewmen bailed out of the plane. Corporal Sweigart continued his training at Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg, California, on Douglas C-47 planes, including intensive navigation training flights along the Pacific coast. The 317th departed San Francisco and arrived in Townsville, Australia, in early 1943.

The 40th Transport Carrier Squadron was one of four assigned to the 317th Transport Carrier Group. They were called “Jungle Skippers” because they flew low in C-47 planes to airdrop troops and supplies. They operated in the southwest Pacific Area during World War II, headquartered in Townsville and Brisbane, Australia, in 1942, then in Papua New Guinea, and Leyte in the Philippines, from 1943-1945. As they arrived in Australia in 1943, they were immediately engaged in battle against Japanese forces in Papua New Guinea, in the Battle of Wau. They transported reinforcements, ammunition, and artillery, navigating a particularly dangerous airstrip that rose uphill to end at the face of a mountain. They airdropped troops and supplies amid heavy enemy machine gun and sniper fire. The presence and performance of the 317th TCG in close-in fighting, coupled with combat employment through airland and airdrop, were decisive factors in turning the tide and winning the Battle of Wau. It also inspired the 40th Troop Carrier Squadron’s emblem – Screaming Eagles - and earned the 317th TCG its first of two Distinguished Unit Citations for the key role they played.

In September 1943, the 317th TCG took part in the first large scale airdrop of the Pacific War as part of a 250 aircraft airdrop mission to Nadzab, Papua New Guinea. From there, they moved north to the Philippines, supplying Allied forces with both airland and airdrop missions. The 317th earned its second Distinguished Unit Citation for serving as the sole airlift force inserting the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment into the island of Corregidor in February 1945. They made 600 airdrop passes in two days onto two small drop zones that were next to a 500-foot cliff, in the midst of enemy fire. Their precision and skill as “Jungle Skippers” led to a 95% airdrop effectiveness rate, while over half of their aircraft received damage from anti-aircraft fire. Corporal Sweigart proudly shared in a letter home to family that he had completed over 500 hours of flight time.

The 317th TCG has the unique distinction as being the first of Allied forces to set foot on Japanese soil, landing at Atsugi Air Field in Tokyo, Japan, on August 28, 1945. Just two weeks after the war’s end - on September 17, 1945, Corporal Carter Sweigart and four other Air Corps men were flying from Okinawa enroute to Atusgi, Japan, when their C-47 impacted the side of a mountain, killing all crew members. He was buried with the remains of the other Air Corps men in Japan and later reinterred in the United States. Corporal Carter Sweigart left behind a wife, a young son, his parents, and three sisters. His brother, Staff Sergeant Orvil E. Sweigart, was killed in action in June 1944 after landing on Utah Beach in the Battle of Normandy.

For his outstanding skills as a Radio Operator and three years of wartime service with over 500 hours of flying time transporting troops and supplies with the 317th Transport Carrier Group during key, decisive battles in the Pacific Theater, and for giving his life while in service to his country, the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation inducts Corporal Carter E. Sweigart into the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation Hall of Fame for Military Service to Country.One month later, Captain Schultz arrived in the Fiji Islands to prepare for combat action against the Japanese. During that time, he was promoted to Major and served as Executive Officer of the Third Battalion and as the Battalion S-3. The Third Battalion conducted mopping-up operations on Guadalcanal, cleaning up remaining pockets of Japanese resistance before moving on to the Island of New Georgia, where his Battalion fought to take the island and the all-important Munda Airfield. During the fighting, Schultz would lose two fellow St. Marys men in combat, Staff Sergeant Charles V. Kettler and Sergeant Herbert C. Linville. 

In the fall of 1943, the entire Division landed on the Island of Bougainville where the 148th Infantry led the way against two Divisions of Japanese soldiers. During the fighting, heavy casualties were taken by both sides until the Japanese withdrew in March 1944. In the fall of 1944, Schultz was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given command of the Third Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment, including Company K and several additional Companies from Northwest Ohio.

During the month of January 1945, the 37th Division joined forces with the U.S. 6th Army to pursue the Japanese Army to the Philippine Islands. Lieutenant Colonel Schultz led the Battalion ashore on the beaches of Lingayen Gulf on the Island of Luzon and fought their way 110 miles through the Great Central Plains to the capital city of Manila. On February 5, 1945, the Third Battalion was involved in heavy fighting on the streets of Manila. The lead elements came under fire and suffered many casualties. Lieutenant Colonel Schultz personally led a team of litter bearers to evacuate the wounded men. Lieutenant Colonel Schultz risked his life, but remained until every casualty was evacuated and led his men to fight off an enemy attack. For his actions that day, Lieutenant Colonel Schultz was awarded the Silver Star Medal. Lieutenant Colonel Schultz went on to lead the Battalion through brutal fighting in Manila, Myoko Mountain, Balete Pass, the Grassy Ridge, and the notorious Elbow with everything from cannons to bayonets until the Japanese Army was forced to surrender. 

Lieutenant Colonel Schultz had no peer as a fighting Battalion Commander. He was courageous, highly ethical, and asked nothing of his subordinates that he was not willing to do himself. He led the Third Battalion from the front, not from the Battalion Command Post. His sense of duty and steadfastness under fire carried his Battalion successfully through difficult and dangerous missions. Upon returning to the States, Howard Schultz served with the U.S. Army Field Forces in Virginia and with the Army Reserve. Schultz was promoted to Colonel before retiring from the Army. During his career, he was awarded the Silver Star Medal for Valor, The Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals, and a Purple Heart for wounds received in battle.  

Only his friends and superiors knew that he was blind in one eye. A medical waiver enabled him to serve during the war years. The Surgeon General of the Army ruled against Schultz’s commission into the regular Army after the war. It was that reason he chose to return to civilian life. Upon returning to St. Marys, Schultz owned and managed Schultz Construction Company. Many buildings stand today testifying to his building talents and skills. In his service to his hometown, Schultz served numerous terms as City Councilman and as the Mayor of St. Marys. Howard W. Schultz passed in 1997 and was laid to rest in Elm Grove Cemetery. 

For his courage, bravery, gallantry in action, and repeatedly risking his own life to save his fellow soldiers; and his service to a grateful nation during World War II; for his many medals and citations; and for embracing one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States Army, the Infantry Officer, the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation inducts Colonel Howard W. Schultz into the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation Hall of Fame for Military Service to Country.