Robert John Carmody (September 4, 1938 – October 27, 1967) was an American
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
whose career, which had included a bronze medal at the
1964 Summer Olympics in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
as part of the flyweight division, was cut short when he was killed in action serving with the United States Army in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
.
Early life
Born in 1938 to lower-class parents in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, Carmody learned his trade in street fights near his home before joining the Army in 1957 and signing up for boxing classes with a close friend.
Amateur career
Carmody proved a natural, and was quickly chosen to represent the
11th Airborne Division, continuing in this position after their deployment to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in 1958. In 1961, Carmody won his first All-Army flyweight boxing title, retaining it for the next four years until 1965. He also won the International Military Sports Council title in 1962 and garnered a bronze at the
1963 Pan American Games
The 1963 Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil.
Host city selection
For the first time, two cities submitted bids to host the 1963 Pan American Games that were recognized by the Pan American Sports O ...
.
Attending the Olympic trials at the
1964 New York World's Fair the following year, Carmody won a shock victory over the favored
Melvin Miller
Melvin is a masculine given name and surname, likely a variant of Melville and a descendant of the French surname de Maleuin and the later Melwin. It may alternatively be spelled as Melvyn or, in Welsh, Melfyn and the name Melivinia or Melva may ...
to secure a place on the 1964 Olympic team. At the training camp, Carmody formed a close friendship with
Joe Frazier, at one point reportedly talking Frazier out of quitting the sport following an unexpected defeat. At the Olympics Carmody suffered a bruised hand, but still beat the Nepalese Thapa Namsing and the German
Otto Babiasch before losing in the semi-finals to the eventual winner
Fernando Atzori
Fernando Atzori (1 June 1942 – 9 November 2020) was an Italian flyweight boxer who won a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics. In the final, he defeated Artur Olech of Poland, despite suffering an eye injury. After the Olympics, he turned professi ...
, thus claiming a bronze medal.
1964 Olympic results
* Round of 32: bye
* Round of 16: Defeated
Nam Singh Thapa (Nepal) RSC
* Quarterfinal: Defeated
Otto Babiasch (Unified Team of Germany) 4–1
* Semifinal: Lost to
Fernando Atzori
Fernando Atzori (1 June 1942 – 9 November 2020) was an Italian flyweight boxer who won a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics. In the final, he defeated Artur Olech of Poland, despite suffering an eye injury. After the Olympics, he turned professi ...
(Italy) 1–4 (was awarded bronze medal)
Outside the ring
After the Olympics, Carmody met and married Merry Sykes in Germany, and the two settled down into army family life, Robert and Merry had two children, Terri, a daughter 2 years old at the time of his death in Vietnam, and his newborn son, Robert Jr.
After the Olympics and before Vietnam, Carmody trained several boxing teams at the International Military Sports Council games, including the U.S. Army squad and the Iraqi army boxing team.
Carmody was given a pass to opt out of serving in Vietnam. He was a trained Army Boxer and not a well trained Soldier.
Nevertheless, He decided to serve with his platoon and at the young age of 27 paid the ultimate price for his service.
Death
In June 1967 Carmody was called up to go to Vietnam with his unit, D Troop of the U.S. 17th Cavalry Regiment. Despite pleas from his friends not to go as he was not sufficiently combat trained as a result of his boxing career, Carmody insisted on deploying with his unit. Several weeks after arriving, while on a routine six-man foot patrol just to the north of Saigon, Viet Cong
,
, war = the Vietnam War
, image = FNL Flag.svg
, caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green.
, active ...
guerillas ambushed the squad and killed five of the six men, the single survivor reaching safety after an arduous journey of eleven hours. Among the dead was Staff Sergeant Carmody, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
for his valor during the ambush. Many tributes were offered following his death from soldiers and sportsmen alike who had known and respected him during his career.
References
ESPN Web Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmody, Robert
1938 births
1967 deaths
Sportspeople from Brooklyn
Flyweight boxers
Boxers from New York City
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in boxing
Boxers at the 1964 Summer Olympics
American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War
United States Army non-commissioned officers
American male boxers
Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Boxers at the 1963 Pan American Games
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
Pan American Games medalists in boxing
Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Olympians killed in warfare