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Cotton Jesse J.

Name:
Jesse J. Cotton
Rank:
Sergeant
Serial Number:
37657756
Unit:
45th Bomber Squadron, 40th Bomber Group, Very Heavy
Date of Death:
1944-06-16
State:
Iowa
Cemetery:
Manila American Cemetery, Taguig, Philippines
Plot:
Walls of the Missing
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Comments:

Jesse J. Cotton was born on June 4, 1914 in Missouri. He resided in Polk County, Iowa prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army on January 23, 1943 at Camp Dodge, Herrold, Iowa. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Married. Jesse served as a Sergeant and Senior Gunner on B-29 "Stockett's Rocket" #42-6261, 45th Bomber Squadron, 40th Bomber Group, Very Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

B-29 #42-6261 took off, with a crew of 11 and 1 passenger, from Chakulia, India on a bombing mission over a steel works in Yawata Kyushu, Japan. After taking off from India, and prior to actually going on the mission to Japan, they were scheduled to land in Hsing-Ching, China to refuel. They never reached the base in China. The entire crew was lost for an unknown reason. He was declared "Missing in Action" on June 15, 1944 and is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines.

Jesse 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 hid middle name's initial is inscribed as L.

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