Tom "F." Carroll
First Lieutenant Tom F. “Cootie” Carroll was a Marine pilot with VMSB-341.
He was reported missing in a storm near Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands, on 15 January 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-21155
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth*
October 29, 1915
at Oil City, PA
Parents
William Henry Carroll (d. 1945)
Margaret (O’Flaherty) Carroll (d. 1936)
Education
St. Joseph’s High School (1935)
Xavier University (1939)
Occupation & Employer
Indian Refining Company (Texaco)
*Note: Born Donald Francis Carroll
Service Life
Entered Service
April 3, 1943 (USMC)
Home Of Record
231 South McCarty Drive
Beverly Hills, CA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. William H. Carroll
Military Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
VMSB-341
Campaigns Served
Northern Solomons
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Carroll served a four-year enlistment with the US Navy before transferring to the Marine Corps.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
At 1600 hours on 15 January 1944, took off from Munda for a strike mission against Monoitu Mission Bridge, Bougainville. After bombing and strafing the area, set return course with wingman 1Lt. Louis H. Anderson. At 1715, while flying between the Shortland Islands and Vella Lavella, the two aircraft entered a large storm cloud. Lieutenant Carroll’s plane (SBD-5 BuNo 28290, Squadron Number 109) did not emerge.
Lieutenant Anderson searched the area for ninety minutes before low fuel forced him to break off and head for the nearest friendly airfield. He landed at Torokina to report Carroll and Sergeant John F. Farrelly as missing. No trace of the SBD or crew was ever found, and both Marines were declared dead on 16 January 1946.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. William H. Carroll.
At enlistment, Tom Carroll lived at 3423 North Broadway, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Location Of Loss
Carroll’s plane was forced down in a storm near Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands.
