Louis John Bemish was born on January 27, 1918 in New York. He was the son of Frank R. Bemish and Clara S. Bemish. He resided at 777 Long Pond Road, Rochester, Monroe County, New York and was a member of the New York National Guard prior to the war. His National Guard unit was called into full time active Army service on February 10, 1941, prior to the war, from Rochester, New York. He was noted, at that time, as being employed as an Engineer for the Eastman Kodak Company and also as Single, without dependents. Louis served as a First Lieutenant and Engineer on B29 "Defiant L-assie" #42-6280, 678th Bomber Squadron, 444th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

Louis was "Killed In Action" when his B-29, while on a bombing mission over Northern China, struck a mountainside near Fuling, China during the war. He died on October 14, 1944 at the age of 26 and is now buried in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA in a common grave with his crew and his name is listed on a group headstone. He also has a cenotaph located in Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery, Greece, Monroe County, New York, USA.

He 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 but death date is inscribed as 1945-02-04.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com