Rolland J. Luce, Jr. was born in 1923 in New York. He resided in Erie County, New York prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on February 26, 1943 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in miscellaneous occupations and also as Single, without dependents. Rolland served as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot on B-24J "Poco Moco" #44-49451, 375th Bomber Squadron, 308th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

B-24J #44-49451 took off, with a crew of 6, from Hsinching Airfield, Szechuan Province, China on a routine fuel haul mission to Rupsi, India. They were last contacted by radio reporting they were over Shingbwiyang, Burma on August 6, 1945. They never arrived in India. Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until August 7, 1946, 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.

Rolland 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