Theodore L. Charny was born in 1921 in Poland. He resided in Middlesex County, New Jersey prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army on November 16, 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a filer, grinder, buffer, and polisher of metal and also as Single, without dependents. Theodore served as a Sergeant and Radio Operator on C-46A #41-24750, 1332nd Army Air Force Base Unit, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

C-46A #41-24750 took off, with a crew of 3, from Kuhming, China on a transport mission to Mohanbari, India. They were last contacted by radio and were not seen nor heard from again. The entire crew was lost, it was September 22, 1944. Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until September 23, 1945, 1 year and 1 day after he went missing as was the custom. His name is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines.

Theodore 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 his surname is inscribed as Charney.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov