Martin Carmody was raised in California and was a senior at San Jose State University. His family had lived there for about a century. Carmody played football in college. Because of the Depression anyway to make money was worth it. One day while working for the WPA [Annotator's Note: Works Progress Administration] Carmody and several other football players were on top of the school gym trying to repair it when one of the guys saw something and his question drew the attention of the rest of the guys. It was a man in uniform. As the uniformed man got closer to them their curiosity grew larger. They realized that the guy had been a football player a couple of years before so they all climbed down to chat with him. He was wearing the green uniform of a naval aviator and Carmody and the others were impressed by how he looked. They talked for a while about various topics and eventually someone asked him how much he was paid. He told them he got 125 dollars a month base pay and 75 dollars a month as flight pay. That was a princely sum for Carmody and the others. It made Carmody think about joining right then and there even though he was so close to graduating. Carmody was a history major and the best pay a teacher could hope to get in those days was 900 dollars a year. Carmody wanted to enlist in the Marine Corps as an aviator. They had a Marine recruiter to tell people about naval aviation. This recruiter got Carmody a physical. Carmody was about 6'1" and 208 pounds. Naval regulations stated Carmody should have been 186 pounds and refused him.

Martin Carmody did his flight training at Corpus Christi, Texas. When he graduated nine months later he was sent to San Diego. While in training, Carmody had difficulty fitting in the F4F [Annotator's Note: Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter aircraft]. He really wanted to be a fighter pilot and did not want to fly patrol planes so he started flying SBD Dauntless dive bombers. When the war broke out on 7 December [Annotator's Note: 7 December 1941] Carmody was still in flight training. He finished his training about a month later and was shipped out for carrier qualification. They would train pilots by leaving the carrier a few miles off shore and have six pilots fly towards the carrier to land. Carmody's first carrier landing was aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3). The carrier was having some difficulty so they told the pilots to circle on the starboard quarter and wait for instructions. Carmody got distracted and started fiddling with the frequency on the radio. Suddenly he heard Bob Hope and Jerry Colonna. At that time they received the signal to get into a landing pattern. Before he descended, Frances Langford came on singing the song Sleepy Lagoon. Carmody was getting distracted and tried to switch the radio off but could not get to the switch. The entire landing operation took place to the sound of Frances Langford ringing through Carmody's cockpit. When it was Carmody's turn to land Langford was still singing. On his approach the flight crew told him to speed up a bit and he landed safely on the deck but the plane traveled further than he expected it to. He managed to stop the plane but the alarm signal went off and Carmody could see several guys in fire suits coming from the island [Annotator's Note: The island on an aircraft carrier is the command center for flight deck operations]. Carmody couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. All of a sudden he spotted an officer charging towards him. It turned out that the signal he thought was speed up was actually a wave off. He also forgot to use his tailhook. He was ordered to report the ready room. He spent some time in there until the flag officer came down. While he was being chewed out he was still listening to Frances Langford. The flag officer told him that the captain had decided to give him another chance. He was so determined to not screw up again that he went on to make eight more carrier landings in a row that day. After that [Annotator's Note: after carrier qualifications] they joined Air Group 10. Air Group 10 had F4Fs, TBFs [Annotator's Note: Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber], SBDs [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber] and the newer torpedo planes. This was about six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. They were loaded on to transports and sent on a convoy of ships. They were sent to Honolulu to Ford Island and then to the Marine Corps Air Station Ewa for training. There they practiced dive bombing and other aerial techniques.

[Annotator's Note: Martin Carmody served in the Navy as a pilot flying Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers with Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10) and Scouting Squadron 10 (VS-10) from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6).] On 16 April 1942 they were sent south to join the USS Hornet (CV-8). It took eight days to cross the equator. In October there was some effort by the Japanese to take back Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. They got word that Japanese carriers were out about 200 miles away. Six two-plane elements were sent out as a search party early in the morning of 26 October. Les Ward was Carmody’s wingman on the flight. They took off while it was still dark. They were about 150 miles out when they got a message from their skipper that he had spotted the enemy carriers. They were under orders to try to join up with their skipper and try to drop their 500 pound bombs on the enemy carriers. Since they were observing radio silence they used hand signals for communication during radio silence. They plotted out a course on the little boards that they used to navigate with. Then they climbed up to 8,000 feet to close in on the enemy carriers. There was a large opening in the storm ahead of them but when they got into the clear they could not see any of their own airplanes. Carmody climbed up to about 10,000 feet. From there they could see the Shokaku. The carrier was blowing its stacks to expel heat. Right behind the Shokaku was its sister ship, the Zuikaku. They kept flying along but still did not see any other aircraft. At 10,000 feet they leveled off. The dive bombers were slow and could not climb very quickly. Carmody signaled to his wingman to remember to flip the switch to arm the bomb. From out of nowhere seven Zeroes [Annotator's Note: Mitsubishi A6M Zero fightr aircraft] appeared and made a pass at them. Carmody's tail gunner fired at them. The Zeroes came at them one at a time firing them. Carmody's plane took several hits to the tail but nothing catastrophic. During the Zero’s second pass Carmody’s rear seat gunner, John Liska, and the rear seat gunner in Les Ward’s plane each shot down a Zero. After losing two planes the Zero pilots grew more cautious. On the third pass the Zeroes stayed further back. During the third pass Carmody dove down into a cloud bank to pick up some speed. This helped to save the plane but Carmody and his wingman got separated. On the fifth pass a Zero nearly rammed into Carmody's airplane. Both pilots used the water to help with navigation. Carmody eventually found his wingman and they headed back for the ship.

Martin Carmody and Les Ward finally joined back up with each other. They had both consumed a lot of fuel during their mission and Carmody was growing concerned about it. As they approached the task force from about 1,000 feet, they could see a burning carrier. As they got closer Carmody could see the carrier was still getting hammered by the Japanese. In order to avoid being spotted by the Japanese they dropped even lower and flew close to the sea. That gave them a clear view of the USS Hornet (CV-8) being crippled by the Japanese. Carmody and Ward landed on the USS Enterprise (CV-6). His plane had to be pushed off the flight line because he had no fuel left. Carmody was sent down to the ready room for a debrief but while they were waiting for it to take place the Japanese launched another attack on the Enterprise. Carmody was forced to stay in the ready room and wait out the attack. Five separate bombs hit the ship and Carmody could feel each explosion from his spot in the ready room. Once the bombing stopped Carmody walked onto the flight deck to take stock of the damage. There were three holes in the flight deck and the flight elevator no longer worked. From there the crew went to work repairing the ship and they were ordered to go to New Caledonia. The Marines had evacuated their camp for the campaign on Guadalcanal. The Wasp [Annotator's Note: USS Wasp (CV-7)] had been sunk earlier and their crews went on to fly from Guadalcanal. They spent three or four days ashore and then they got a midnight call and were sent down to Tontouta. There was a huge array of supplies on Tontouta. From there they loaded up but Carmody stayed behind to fly one of the airplanes back. Carmody volunteered to sit in the backseat of an SBD. There was an 80 foot catapult on the ship and it would shoot planes off the side of it. Carmody does not recall who was flying the plane.

Martin Carmody was briefed that there were no available carriers for them to fly off of. The Saratoga [Annotator's Note: USS Saratoga (CV-3)] had been sent back to Hawaii, the Hornet [Annotator's Note: USS Hornet (CV-8)] and the Wasp [Annotator's Note: USS Wasp (CV-7)] had been sunk. The repairs of the Enterprise [Annotator's Note: USS Enterprise (CV-6)] were still underway. They had telephone poles on the hangar deck holding up the flight deck. They couldn't sustain antisubmarine efforts with the current situation. They sailed up near Guadalcanal and then launched another long range search. Carmody and his wingman Johnson flew over some islands during their search. Carmody had become quite proficient at navigating by this point. The islands weren't very big but had some large peaks on them. Carmody climbed up to about 8,000 feet and Carmody could see the Japanese armada steaming towards Guadalcanal. Carmody's gunner, John Liska, was an excellent radioman and Carmody gave Liska a note to transmit once Carmody marked the latitude and longitude of the approaching fleet. The enemy fleet had about 12 troop ships and supply ships as well as a dozen destroyers and some cruisers with Zeroes providing close air support. Liska transmitted the message then orders came back telling them to attack the fleet. Carmody and Williams signalled each other to attack the rear ship in the armada. As they approached, Carmody could see that a group of Zeroes [Annotator's Note: Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter aircraft] had noticed them. Carmody dove first to avoid fire from the Zeroes. He dropped his bomb but narrowly missed striking the ship's upper works. Liska opened fire on the destroyer with his rear turret. Liska told Carmody that he had narrowly missed the ship. Then Zeroes came in and started attacking the dive bomber. From there, they climbed up to around 6,000 feet. Liska told him that Johnson had been shot down. Liska was a deeply religious person, didn't like the job that he had to do and has no desire to talk about it.

That attack on the Japanese fleet off Guadalcanal was a turning point in Martin Carmody’s life. He felt bad about losing Johnson and wonders what he might have done to change the situation. Carmody returned to the ship, submitted his report, and went to his bunk. With the exception of a handful of planes withheld for antisubmarine patrols and some fighters for protection, most of the air group from the USS Enterprise (CV-6) had been sent to Henderson Field. After Carmody had a bite to eat he collapsed on his bunk. He wracked his brain trying to figure out what went wrong. Shortly after he hit the rack the air officer ordered Carmody to lead a flight of seven planes on an attack. Carmody questioned the wisdom of entrusting that task to a pilot as green as he was but he carried it out. Carmody led a flight of seven SBDs and Jimmy Flatley [Annotator's Note: later Vice Admiral James Flatley] led a group of eight fighters. They reached the enemy armada and Carmody led the attack on two or three of the enemy ships. He was a bit too aggressive in his dive and almost crashed his plane into the water. As he pulled out of his dive, Liska [Annotator's Note: Aviation Radio Man 2nd Class (ARM2c) John Liska] told him that he had scored a direct hit the Japanese troopship with his 1,000 pound bomb. After they dropped their bombs they went low to the water to hinder the pursuing Zeroes [Annotator's Note: Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter aircraft] maneuverability. Liska shot down a Zero. Another Zero approached and Liska kept that Zero at bay until a fighter shot the Zero down. Carmody’s navigation had been perfect. After leaving the battle area, Carmody flew to Guadalcanal where he spent the next three days. The night Carmody arrived there were a couple of supply ships at Cape Esperance. Due to the efforts of the Navy and Marine aviators they were able to destroy all 12 of the enemy transport ships. The next day they reloaded and destroyed the few transports that survived the previous day's attacks. Three years later, near the end of the war, Carmody sailed past Guadalcanal and could see the remains of the ships rotting on the beach.

Martin Carmody was on Guadalcanal for two or three days. The USS Enterprise (CV-6) had gone to the harbor at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides to finish its repairs. There was a massive covered harbor there. While the Enterprise was being repaired Carmody was headquartered on the southern end of the island. Carmody was called by his XO [Annotator's Note: executive officer] and sent to Guadalcanal. While there Carmody became a fan of the Marines. The first night they were there they were in foxholes in a coconut grove between the airfield and the water. When Carmody finally fell asleep in a tent he was awakened by the Japanese shelling the airfield. Had they shelled the coconut grove they would killed all of the pilots and there would have been no one left to fly. Carmody tried to dive into a slit trench but it was too small for him. He had to take a shovel and widen it during a lull in the firing. Carmody remembers the sound of the shells going through the trees. Two days after the shelling they returned Espiritu Santo where the Enterprise was in harbor. The Navy gave some of its planes to the Marines. The executive officer chose Carmody and another wingman to fly back to Espiritu Santo. They were dependent on the own navigation. They took off around two in the afternoon. They were flying along a big island when they spotted a tropical storm passing their flight path. The executive officer ordered Carmody and the others to fly over the storm. The weather was getting bad and Carmody's plane was getting bounced around. One gust knocked Carmody's plane upside down and sent him into a spin. Carmody had learned in flight training to not try and overcome the spin right away. He took his time and was able to pull himself out of the spin. When he leveled off he was only about 300 feet above the water. After getting the plane stable, Carmody had lost track of his wingman and the executive officer and had no desire to brave the storm again so he did his own navigation. Carmody slowed his engine down to conserve fuel. He kept on going until he came across another storm that was less severe than the first one. Around six that evening Carmody figured he was getting close to Espiritu Santo so he asked Liska [Annotator's Note: Aviation Radio Man 2nd Class (ARM2c) John Liska] to send a message to see if they could locate him by radar. They got a message back telling Carmody to turn right and continue on until further notice. That did not sound right to Carmody because everything was stormy. A half hour after turning right he received another message telling him that there had been a mix up and that he was now heading in the opposite direction from where he needed to be. Carmody reversed course for about half an hour and saw another cyclone that bounced the plane about even more. Carmody became aware of the state of their fuel and told Liska that they were going to have to ditch.

Martin Carmody took a course that would be parallel to the island. He made a good landing in the ocean but the force of the crash sent his head banging into the bomb sight which opened a sizable gash on his forehead. Due to the severity of his bleeding be became concerned about sharks. When the time came to land he dropped the tail hook so he could tell when he was just a couple of feet from the surface. Carmody told Liska [Annotator's Note: Aviation Radio Man 2nd Class (ARM2c) John Liska] to get out fast and pull the two man life raft out. Liska had also wounded his head in the crash and Carmody had to push to get him into the raft. They entered the raft at half past nine that evening after seven and a half hours of flight time. They could not figure out how to inflate the raft and they were slowly getting soaked. Finally they managed to get the raft inflated. Carmody pushed Liska into the life raft and then climbed over the end of the raft. They were adrift until about eight the next morning. They did not get much sleep that night. Carmody hugged Liska because Liska was shivering cold. As it got light the tropical storm subsided and huge swells moved the raft about. Carmody managed to spot land and they paddled for shore but the current had a hold of them and nearly pushed out to sea. They managed to pull up onto a small strip of land and the first thing Carmody did after landing was take a piece of his t-shirt off to clean his 45 [Annotator's Note: M1911 .45 caliber pistol].

The first thing they [Annotator's Note: Martin Carmody and his rear seat gunner John Liska] needed was water. Behind the beach was a massive jungle. Carmody held onto Liska and they traveled down a small strip of sand around a point for about an hour. Dehydration made it hard for them to communicate but after walking for a while Carmody managed to spot some coconuts hanging from a tree. He pulled out his pistol and shot a couple down. He opened a couple with his knife to get at the milk and meat within. They continued down the beach to try and find a spot where a fisherman may put out a line. Eventually they found a fishing line and followed a trail that they found for several hundred feet that led them through the jungle. They found a clearing with a small hut in the middle of it. The hut had smoke rising from it. Carmody left Liska in the tree line then made his way over to the hut. There, Carmody saw a small man feeding a baby and signed to him that he needed food and water. Carmody was fearful that the man may be a head hunter. Eventually the man walked across the clearing and they followed him. The man led them through the jungle for a couple of hours until they arrived at a village in the valley below.

As they [Annotator's Note: Martin Carmody and John Liska] approached, the entire village came to greet them. Carmody and Liska tried to be as happy and friendly as they could be. During this time Carmody's face had started bleeding again and the village females helped to patch him up. The villagers then led them down to the stream and told them where to get some water. By that time they had been away from the USS Enterprise (CV-6) for 24 hours and were exhausted. The villagers were fascinated by Carmody's red hair, especially the women. The villagers brought various fruits when he asked for food. After they ate they were taken to a hut and slept for 12 hours. Having Carmody and Liska with them was very exciting for the villagers. When they woke up, the village chief had returned and visited them. The chief was wearing a GI work shirt and a cotton hat. After having something to eat the chief led them up the hill to a clearing that gave a full view of their surroundings. There, they met up with an Australian coast watcher. The coast watcher spoke with Carmody for a bit and then sent a message to the other side of the island to a Navy headquarters which was aboard a cruiser. The Australian knew the island very well and marked a bay about five miles away where a PBY Catalina could land. Two or three days later they were refreshed and ready to depart. Carmody gave some trinkets to the natives. When they were departing for the beach the entire village was waiting to say goodbye to them. Carmody gave the chief the rubber raft and paddle that they had come ashore in. From there, a PBY brought them back to the Enterprise. During Carmody and Liska's first night on the island the Japanese had launched a major attack on Guadalcanal not far from where they had been billeted. The Marines managed to stop the attack but it was a bloody fight.

After returning to the USS Enterprise (CV-6), they [Annotator's Note: Martin Carmody and his rear seat gunner John Liska] stayed there while the ship was being repaired. The Enterprise remained in Espiritu Santo while repairs were being made. While it was being retrofitted, Carmody and the others stayed ashore. The lived in hard floor tents for a few months before the Enterprise was sent back to Pearl Harbor. While in Pearl Harbor they opened a bar on the harbor side of the carrier. The entire air group was billeted there and they practiced during the day. From there Carmody was sent to San Francisco and then to San Diego. In San Diego, Air Group 10 received orders for a cadre of planes to be sent to Norfolk. Air Group 8 was in bad shape because of the loss of the USS Hornet (CV-8). While in Norfolk, they continued to train and flew as much as possible. Eventually they were assigned to the USS Intrepid (CV-11) when it was launched. They were the first air group posted to the Intrepid. The Intrepid sailed down to Trinidad. There was a good testing ground in a lagoon there. After arriving the pilots were given the newer SB2C Helldiver to fly. Carmody did not like the Helldiver. By this point Carmody was the executive officer of his squadron. When they returned to the United States they put in at Norfolk. After a few more months in Norfolk they set sail aboard the for Pearl Harbor. In December 1943, Carmody came down with a bad cold and was laid up for a while. In the Gulf they trained for the Marshall Islands Campaign. Problems with the SB2C hindered training efforts. While passing through the Panama Canal, the Intrepid ran aground while going through one of the turns in the canal. There was a big gash about 120 feet long and they spent a week making the ship seaworthy again. Once it was seaworthy the Intrepid headed for San Francisco for repairs. When they left the Navy shipyard in San Francisco three weeks later they were in bad shape. Carmody and Les Ward stepped up and put the squadron together because the commander had never flown off of carriers before. He had only flown float planes launched off of cruisers. On the trip up to San Francisco they had a couple of days with nothing scheduled so Carmody approached the air officer and told him that they needed practice. They needed to practice flying off a carrier and were finally allowed to do so. On their second day they were out, the dive bombers practiced diving on a sled that the carrier was towing about 1,000 feet behind it. As Carmody pulled his brand new SB2C out of his dive, one of his landing gear sections fell out throwing the plane off balance. Carmody managed to get the plane straightened out but it was a severe strain because the gear had thrown the rudder out of alignment. Carmody was told to attempt a landing but decided that it was too dicey so he put the plane down in the water. A destroyer picked him and he rode the destroyer all the way to San Francisco.