Samuel Earl Lunday, Jr. was born on June 15, 1922. He served in the 1333rd Army Air Force Base Unit as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot of a C-87 aircraft during World War II.

C-87 #41-23696 departed Yangkai, China 24 April 1943 at approx. 1400CST enroute to its homebase at Chabua, India. There was no radio contact with this aircraft after take-off. It did not arrive in Chabua, and was listed as missing. Aerial searches commenced immediately, and search efforts lasted until 26 May 1943. The aircraft was not located and the nature of the loss was unknown. No further information was available that time.

He was Missing in Action in World War II and then found and recovered by Clayton Kuhles of www.miarecoveries.org The aircraft is located a four-day trek northeast of the village of Latti. Clayton Kuhles recovered the remains of Capt Mease, Pvt Sims, and Lt Lunday, and delivered them to the US Embassy via the US Military Air Force Attache in Rangoon, Burma/Myanmar.

2Lt. Lunday is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA. He also has a cenotaph located in Culloden City Cemetery, Culloden, Monroe County, Georgia. He was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is also commemorated on the The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China but death date is inscribed as 1943-04-28.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com