Jerome Harold Birkenfeld was born on July 4, 1922. He entered the military service on July 8, 1941 and went overseas in August 1944. He served in the 27th Troop Carrier Squadron as a Sergeant. Radio Operator of the C-47B #43-16350 aircraft, Birkenfeld was Killed in Action in a routine flight in China on August 28, 1945. This transport plane went missing during a flight from Hsian (now known as Xian) to Liangshan (now known as Liangping). Bad weather and rain is thought to have shorted out the radio equipment. He is now buried in the Beth Shalom Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 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.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com