Cleo Dale Catron was born on October 20, 1922 in Russiaville, Howard County, Indiana. He was the son of John Cleo Catron and Gertrude Grinstead Catron. He enlisted in the USAAF at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, on 22 October 1942. He trained in the maintenance and operation of the .50 caliber aerial machineguns on the B29 Superfortress, earned his crewman wings, and was the left waist gunner on the day he died.

On 14 October 1944, a B-29, # 42-680, "Klank-Klank," assigned to 20th Air Force, Dudhkundi, India, 444th Bomb Group, 678th Bomb Squadron, departed Kwanghang, China, on a bombing mission to Okayma, Taiwan, and was "lost due to unknown reasons." All died in the crash of the B-29 Superfortress. 42-6280 was believed to have been seen when the formation was coming together at Sui-Ning (30-29 N — 105-36 E) at about 0700. The formation entered an overcast and 42-6280 was not seen again. B-29, 42-6202 landed at Liangshan, believes he heard 42-6280 calling Liangshan when 42-6202 was circling Liangshan before landing at about 1600.

His remains, with the unidentifiable remains of the crew, were recovered from China and all were buried in a two-casket group ceremony in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay, Missouri, on 29 November 1949. He also has a cenotaph located in Middlefork Cemetery, Middlefork, Clinton County, Indiana. Cleo was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is commemorated on the The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com