Reuben Carr was Waist gunner on board of B-17 ≠42-29744, shot down 15 May 1943 in B-17 #42-29744 the "Battling-Bee" Piloted by 1Lt. Frank Clemons. Aircraft took direct hit from Flak in open bomb bay. All crew members from Radio Compartment aft were KIA. Plane crash-landed in shallow water between Neuwerk Island and Cuxhaven, Germany. Unknown if S/Sgt Carr was able to bail out or not. Reuben's remains were never recovered or identified as recovered. DED status 1944 (Declared Dead). Listed as Killed in Action (KIA). Honored on the "Tablets of the Missing" in the Netherlands American Cemetery.

Awarded Silver Star (for action at Hickam Field, Hawaii, 7 Dec 1941), Air Medal, Purple Heart. After Reuben's death, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimsom sent the following letter to Mrs. Walter Carr, mother of the lost aviator : "At the request of the President, I write to inform you that the Purple Heart has been awarded posthumously to your son, Staff Sergeant Reuben A. Carr, Air Corps, who sacrificed his life in the defense of his country. Little that we can do or say will console you for the death of your loved one. We profoundly appreciate the greatness of your loss, for in a very real sense the loss suffered by any of us in this battle for our country, is a loss shared by all of us. When the medal, which you will shortly receive, reaches you, I want you to know that with it goes my sincerest sympathy, and the hope that time and the victory of our cause will finally lighten the burden of your grief."