Career
Born in 1938 to lower class parents in Brooklyn, 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. Carmody proved a natural, and was quickly chosen to represent the 11th Airborne Division, continuing in this position after their deployment to Germany in 1958. Olympic results
first-round bye
Defeated Nam Singh Thapa (Nepal) Royal Society of Chemistry
Defeated Otto Babiasch (Unified Team of Germany) 4–1
Lost to Fernando Atzori (Italy) 1–4
In June 1967 Carmody was called up to go to Vietnam with his unit, Doctorate Troop of the United States. 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 Congress 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 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.