James L. Hicks was born in 1923 in Tennessee. He resided in Bradley County, Tennessee prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army on February 18, 1943 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. James served as a Staff Sergeant and Radio Operator / Gunner on B-24J #44-40783, 425th Bomber Squadron, 308th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

B-24J #44-40783 took off, with a crew of 10 and 1 passenger, from Liuchow Airfield, China on a combat mission targeting shipping in Takao Harbor near Takao, Formosa (Taiwan). During this mission they were shot down by Japanese A6M Zeros and crashed into the sea. The entire crew was lost. James was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war. His name is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines.

James 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, www.abmc.gov