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Grave of Captain Carlyle Coleman at the American Cemetery Guadalcanal (Guadalcanal Cemetery)
On December 10, 1942 Captain Carlyle Coleman was the co-pilot aboard B-17E "Miss Fit" 41-2433 on a photo reconnaissance mission over Kahili Airfield on Bougainville. Over the target, Coleman was hit in the eye and killed instantly. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) posthumously for courageous actions and extraordinary heroism on the mission. His original grave was a standard wooden cross with with "CAPT... AN... 31... GROUP" [CAPTAIN CARLYLE COLEMAN 31ST BOMB SQUADRON, 5th BOMB GROUP]. Later, a more elaborate grave was added with a memorial marker with a plaque and white cross with a belt of .50 caliber ammunition. Behind is a propeller blade with a bullet hole and the skull and cross bones inside a triangle, the motif of the 31st Bombardment Squadron. Beyond in the background are other crosses marking graves.
Credit: Barry Sedgwick Date: 1943
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